ALABA RAGO MARKET – A SELF-CREATED PROBLEMS FROM GREEDY LEADERS FOR YEARS

By Olumide Akindiya, former Committee Lawyer & Lawyer to Baba Oja 1 of Alaba Rago Market, Okokomaiko.

Alaba Rago Market comprises almost all ethnic groups and not only Hausa traders or Fulani traders. On hearing the news of decision of Lagos State government to modernise the market, it was not a news to me. It only pained me that the problem we intended to solve; laboured for and risked our lives for for the interest of majority of the traders inside the market would now be in vain if there was no proper provisions and planning for traders including poor ones.

I remembered the day, a group of traders from Alaba Rago market came to my law office led by someone I would not disclose his name for security reason. They complained about criminality being perpetuated by one, Alh. Umaru Nagogo aka Seriki who had been running the market for years and maltreating traders; building security outfit; exploiting traders using his boys to collect illegal fees, etc and efforts of government both at State and local government level in the past. They showed me petitions written by a lawyer before with no positive result and gave me documentary evidence to work with. I assured them of legal battle to remove Alh. Umaru Nagogo and worked towards sanity of the market with no agreement of legal fees.

It was a risky task as I was just 5 years at the bar then. I wrote my first petition dated 10th of October, 2013 to former Gov. Babatunde Fashola, DSS, CP of Lagos State & several petitions to relevant people, it did not yield any positive result despite several meetings until during former Gov. Ambode’s administration and the former Sole Administrator of Iba LCDA now present executive Chairman of Iba LCDA, Hon. Jubril Yisa Adisa looked into the matter with firm position in 2017. He formed a committee called Alaba Rago Market Committee to collect revenue for the council, etc headed by Alh. Ibrahim Malami Ali as Chairman and be in charge for 3 years. Alh. Umaru Nagogo was among but refused to be part of the committee since that would limit his power and deprived him of collecting illegal fees and decided how to be paying Council revenues collected on their behalf. I did not lobby to be part of the committee so no lawyer was among the committee.

The new committee decided to appoint me as their lawyer as reward of my legal struggle in removing Alh. Umaru Nagogo and lawyer who understood the legal history of the market. Unfortunately, on the day of inauguration of the said committee, Alh. Umaru Nagogo and his boys caused problem in the market. He refused to desist from collecting illegal fees inside the market; brothels are still there; crime is not reducing; some traders are still victimized. He now set up committee called Alaba Rago Market Sectional Head Association. Being in haste, he sued Lagos State government, Iba LCDA, Alaba Rago Market Committee, etc in two different High Courts at Badagry using different lawyers claiming different reliefs: on legality of Lagos State government to impose a committee, etc and whether Iba LCDA has power to collect fees under the 1999 Constitution, etc. Meanwhile, in the course of sanitising the market; reduce crime and maltreating of traders by his boys, other groups who formed Sectional Head with him were sabotaging the efforts of the committee and after exit of Hon. Jubril Yisa Adisa, the new executive Chairwoman of Iba LCDA Mrs. Ramota preferred Alh. Umaru Nagogo for many reasons known to her even the latter embezzled Iba LCDA’s revenues but she kept on defending him even at Lagos State House of Assembly. Alaba Rago Market Committee restored the environmental sanitation, contrusted road linking to the market, etc but later Mrs. Ramota brought Developer to reconstruct to the market without relocation or any provisions for the traders so we rejected it with profitable steps. After a year, Alh. Umaru Nagogo suffered defeat in both Courts as our law firm won. They wrote Petition again to Lagos State House of Assembly and during argument in the House, they added Agoro, Esq, a former House of Assembly member during Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s administration to their legal team. After some months, calling Mrs. Ramota and other relevant parties for questioning, they lost as the Resolution of the house did not favour them.

In late 2018, the greed made the Alaba Rago Market Sectional Head Association to be registered to further control the market with Alh. Umaru Nagogo as Chairman so their legal team headed by Agoro, Esq further filed a binding over proceeding against Alh. Ibrahim Malami Ali with false representation. It seemed I and the committee would not rest over Alaba Rago market so I filed relevant Court processes to defend the committee. After the expiration of three years tenure of the committee headed by Alh. Ibrahim Malami Ali ceased and with lock down owing to Covid-19 and JUSUN strike, they were frustrated so they later abandoned the suit. In the process, Iyaloja General, Chief (Mrs.) Folashade Tinubu-Ojo considered Alh. Ibrahim Malami Ali fit to be Baba Oja 1 of Alaba Rago Market, Okokomaiko based on their efforts over the market.

It was as if Alaba Rago Market would not know peace early last year, certain group of people with input of Alaba Rago Market Sectional Head Association used the crises between NURTO’s staff and Okada riders to cause commotion inside the market; set on fire some shops of supporters of Baba Oja; innocent traders and including Baba Oja’s offices and property inside the market. I advised them to maintain peace eventhough it had been in the media. On instruction, I wrote several petitions to Gov. Babajide Sanwoolu, CP of Lagos State, etc; meetings and no positive result. Hence, Baba Oja to avoid crises and breach of public peace allowed them to run the market the way they like with different groups.

Greed of some leaders inside the market allowed criminality, illegal structures, brothels, etc to flourish to the detriment of most and innocent traders. What will happen next I do not know as I refuse to call any government appointee, house member or even executive Chairman of Iba LCDA on their positions, even if they will pick my call.

What is the way forward? Time will tell…