Ado-Ekiti indigenes report Fayose to monarch over sale of market

Indigenes of Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, yesterday protested to the town’s traditional ruler, Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, over Governor Ayodele Fayose’s alleged sale of shops at the Oba’s Market in the town to buyers they described as traders, rather than allowing the local government to rent out the shops.
The contentious market, located in front of the Ewi’s palace, was formerly controlled by the Ado Local Government.
Protesting under the auspices of the Ado Ewi Indigenes Rights Protection Forum and Ado Ekiti Youth Coalition, the indigenes expressed their discomfort about Gov Fayose’s sale of their “heritage without due consultation with the community’s leaders.”
The governor had demolished the market in 2016 and rebuilt it into a N3 billion ultra-modern structure.
A retired Director in the federal civil service and Akuajo of Ado Ekiti, Chief Olugbayo Ogunleye, addressing the protesters at the palace, said the protest had become necessary “to prevent Ado’s heritage from being mismanaged.”
Ogunleye argued it was morally wrong for the market, which was initially controlled by the indigenes, to be sold out without certain considerations.
Others who jointly addressed the protesting youths with Ogunleye were the head of the Aladesanmi royal family, Prince Adedeji Aladesanmi and the Babatolu of Ado Ekiti, Chief Kayode Owolabi.
Ogunleye expressed disappointment with how Fayose had allegedly reneged on his promise to consider the interest of the former occupants of the now ultra-modern market before allocation.
“Virtually all over Africa and Nigeria, and Yorubaland in particular, Oba’s markets are never sold. It can be leased or rented out but they are not sold outright. Again, control of such market is the constitutional rights of the local government and not that of the state, because it was a major factor in the internally generated revenue sources of the council. Our fear is that once it is sold, that market is gone forever and the local government will become poorer.
“They said people should pay as much as N2 million before they are allocated shops, rather than allowing them to rent the place. Even those occupying the place before the rebuilding were not given preferential treatment. Where would those just trying to make ends meet get N2m?” he wondered.
The spokesman of the Ado Ekiti Youth Coalition, Olubodun Olukayode, also said it was wrong for the governor to have contemplated selling the market, taking cognizance of the premium placed on it by the Ado Ekiti people.
Olukayode declared, “We are sounding a note of warning to prospective buyers that the market is not for sale. We are not blaming Gov Fayose for rebuilding the market, but we believe it was wrong of him to ask local traders to pay as much as N2m before they are re-allocated shops. We expected the government to allow them to pay rent on the stores annually or monthly,” he stated.