By Precious Oham, Stephen Udesinanna
worried by the rate of avoidable deaths caused by non challant attitude of some roadside traders within Ado Ekiti Metropolis, commuters are calling on the state government to take decisive steps at to ending roadside commercial activities in the state.
Some of the residents and motorists who spoke with Beyond News reporters lamented the rate of road accidents, wondering why the various efforts made by the government of the state at putting an end to the worrisome road side commercial activities seem to have not yeilded appreciable result.
Many of the past administrstions in the state had taken various steps by building market complexes in some areas and relocating some of the roadside traders to the market structures.
The Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji had in January this year promised that his administration would provide more facilities to make commercial activities conducive, part of which is the building of more markets in strategic locations as a way stop highway trading and street road commercial activities.
Respondents observed that apart from causing both human and vehicular traffic in some of the affected areas such as Oja Oba, Ejigbo, Okeisha, among others, the safety of the traders, the buyers, and passersby on the roads is at risk as such activities have led to fatal casualties.
Our reporter observed that some of the major markets in the state are too close to the roads thereby leading anxious traders to spreading their products close to the road, as a show for intending buyers, among whom are passengers in travelling vehicles.
A visit to some of the markets within the Ado-Ekiti metropolis, particularly Oja Bisi and Oja Oba markets, showed that sellers prefer to display their goods by the roadsides to the space and shops inside the market.
According to some motorists, they usually find it difficult to navigate the roads thus leading to unwarranted traffic and gridlock and eventual accidents.
A trader Seun Afolabi said that some of those selling on the roadside are shop owners inside the market, but had to bring out their wares outside where they believe they can make sales.
The people therefore called on the government of the state to quickly look into the matter as it poses much dangers to the well being of the state as well as a threat to the state capital’s modernization.