Traders, under the aegis of Shomolu Marketers Association, took to the streets on Thursday to demand the removal of their current Iyaloja (market leader), Modupeola Olufojude.
The traders alleged that the Iyaloja had not been working in their interest in the past 10 years.
They also called on the overall leader of Lagos market women, Iyaloja General, Chief Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, to urgently intervene in the situation, threatening to disrupt activities at the community market if Olufojude refused to step down as their leader.
The traders further expressed anger at the alleged mismanagement of funds by the market leader and sought to remove her immediately.
The Balogun of Olaleye Shomolu Market, Chief Ahmed, accused Olufojude of siphoning money contributed by the traders for the maintenance of the market, stressing that the traders were no longer willing to have her handling their affairs.
He said, “We do not want her again, she does not put others into consideration. We contributed money to build a house but no account on how the money was spent. Every eight market days, we pay N4,000. We do this every month. For the past six years that we have been contributing, there is no account and we have been contributing.
“The Council gives us N100,000 every month, but she does not say anything about the money. We will destroy the market, and we will not go for any meeting again, if she is not removed.”
Similarly, the Chief Security Officer of the market, Rasheed Olaleye, said, “The way our leader is treating us, we do not like it. The Iyaloja Shomolu, Modupeola Olufojude, is not treating us well. We lost one of us and the leader did not pay condolence, rather she went to attend a party. Apart from this, there are benefits given to us by the Council, but she pockets it.
“We do not benefit from what we contribute. We pay money every two weeks, when we meet, but when it is time for an occasion, we will be asked to contribute money instead of them to take from the funds we have. We do not have any savings.”
An executive member of the Shomolu Market, Saheed Abiola, insisted that, to resolve the problem in the market, the leader must be removed.
He said, “I am in the same market, Oyediran market, with Iyaloja. She is very selfish. I know how they make calls from Senate and when it’s time for empowerment programmes, she puts only her relatives. They provide amenities, she keeps them to herself. There are equipment that are no longer in use there, she covered it. Some persons have learnt a skill but do not have money for the equipment. All our contributions are being
misused.
“We do not have a single treasurer; she keeps money with those she knows she can easily collect the money back from later. We do not have an account. We are tired of her. She commits atrocities. Folashade Tiubu-Ojo has tried to intervene, but no result. She has been on the seat for 10 years now; no result.”
Another trader, Lukeman Osikoya, who claimed to be related to Olufojude, also kicked against her style of handling the affairs of the market.
“We, the marketers, pay N500 every month. If you do not pay it, they will lock up your shop or seize your goods. We are more than 200 and we pay N500 each for Madam Folashade Tinubu. Are we supposed to be paying Folashade Tinubu, Iyaloja general of Lagos? Iyaloja Oyediran is my aunt and I am against her. The suffering is too much, we also pay N100 every week and every end of year N3, 500, but we will not see what they use the money for. Some persons selling herbs pay N300 and they do not benefit anything. These traders are leaving because of the high levies and the new ones that come do not stay for long,”
he said.
Meanwhile, all efforts to speak with Olufojude, the Iyaloja, were not successful, as she could not be reached via her mobile phone. She also did not reply a text message sent to her by our
correspondent.
