Some of the shop owners who were evicted from the Lagos National stadium have said their grouse with the federal ministry of sports is the concession but the way and manner in which the minister handled the eviction.
Speaking to Somolu Newspaper Online on Monday 7th September 2020 at the Lagos National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, some of the shop owners who claimed anonymity said the 14 days quit notice came as a rude shock to them as the timing was too short for them to evacuate their belongings especially when many of them don’t have a place they can put their goods.
“It’s unfortunate that the sports minister, Hon. Sunday Dare just handed the quit notice and did not consider the fact the stadium has been under locks and keys for more than six month without any forms of business transaction due to coronavirus pandemic which rendered many of us financially constraint. We don’t even have where to run to. No money to rent shops that will accommodate our goods”.
“As for me, I believe it’s more sensible and appropriate if we’re given at least six months notice for us to move out of the edifice rather pushing us into the dungeon of agony and hopelessness”. said one of the evictees
“The most painful aspect of it is that most shops around the stadium now take undue advantage of us to hike their rent which now forced many of us to look for spaces/shops far away since we can’t afford the price tag and the kind of goods we sell must not be far away from the stadium”.
One other shop owner who spoke to Somolu Newspaper Online correspondent was reported to have claimed that despite being evicted from their shops, no one is talking about compensation whether little or big to cushion the effect of coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s really pathetic and disheartening that either the minister of sports or the new owner is talking about compensating us. This I know can’t happen in other climes. They would have made adequate preparation for something like this”. he lamented
The federal ministry of Sports, Youths and Social Development had last month announced that the edifice has been concessioned in order for the stadium to undergo a turn around maintenance and bring it back to life for good use. The stadium which was built and commissioned in 1973 by the regime of General Yakubu Gowon, the then President of Nigeria had discovered many heroes and heroines who had represented the nation with honours and pride.
