An Ikeja High Court has advised the aggrieved traders of White Sand Market, Otto, Oyingbo and the Lagos Mainland Local Government to regularise their areas of interest.
The Court also advised the traders to reach an amicable settlement before the next adjourned date.
Justice Akinkunmi Idowu, on Friday, directed the claimants, through one of their representatives, Alhaja Sherifat Thanni, to be realistic by getting a settlement on the matter.
Following a prior change of counsel, the claimants’ new counsel, Niran Orojinmi, told the court that the aggrieved traders remained firm on their position not to vacate the market for demolition by the local government, but were asking to be allowed to nominate the contractor.
Orojinmi said: “The claimants want to appoint the contractor, while the Local Government Area brings an engineer to supervise.”
The claimants’ counsel further told the court that the traders had earlier worked to get a developer for the market but failed.
According to him, the owner of the land determines what will be built on the land.
Earlier in the proceeding, Thanni, one of the representatives of the claimants, told the court that the White Sand Market was in a good condition and the drainage was the only part that needed to be fixed.
“We, the White Sand Market traders, do not want them to rebuild the market; we are ready to fix the drainage,” Thanni told the court.
The representative of the claimants told the court that the Local Government Area intended to construct storey buildings and sell the shops at N9 million, an amount that was unaffordable for the complainants who are predominantly foodstuff traders and need to stay on the ground floor level.
The counsel representing the defendants, Lagos Mainland Local Government and the Attorney General and Lagos State Commissioner for Justice, Tope Kolawole, told the court that the cost of building materials had increased.
Kolawole said the LGA would give the court a copy of the market design after the judge directed that the building must have a section to enable the claimants to decide where to stay based on what they sell.
However, Kolawole decried the extension of the matter and told the court that the parties had been meeting for settlement since last year.
Idowu adjourned the matter until January 12, 2024, for further proceedings.
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The claimants, represented by Sherifat Thanni, Alhaji Garba Malami and Orji Onuoha, had approached the court over allegations that the Lagos Mainland Local Government Area was moving to take over the White Sand Market under the guise of reconstructing it.
The claimants filed the suit marked LD/70789CM/2022 against the Lagos Mainland Local Government and the Attorney General and Lagos State Commissioner for Justice as first and second respondents.
