You just said that reward wrong behaviour by providing them shop. You should be very reasonable in your responses. In a market, fenced like Awolowo that govt dragged them out without providing alternative, so those affected pple you want to call wrong behavior? I am very sure most shopping you do is by the road side becasue how many conducive market do we have in Lag. So you should have been arrested by now.

i have a few questions for a few people here.
So if i illegally set up shop, govt cant chase me away cuz i am making honest livng and there right.
I dont think Govt is responsible to provide replacement shops for these people, but constructions of shopping areas and central markets are needed and in place.
Not to sound harse and all, but i am saying if u cant afford a shop in lagos, then must u live in lagos. Relocate to where u can survive legally, so as not to be in a loose loose situation.

Demolaf

Unfortunately you and other people are those that do not even belong to Lagos. You guys don't even no Lagos. If you know Awolowo market you will not be saying occupants of such a market are illegal. Now govt sent them packing one day and they end up in the street. You guys don't even read the posts before you send yours.

yemmight:


You just said that reward wrong behaviour by providing them shop. You should be very reasonable in your responses. In a market, fenced like Awolowo that govt dragged them out without providing alternative, so those affected people you want to call wrong behavior? I am very sure most shopping you do is by the road side becasue how many conducive market do we have in Lag. So you should have been arrested by now.

Please tell me, what is unreasonable in my responses? So if govt. dragged out traders from Awolowo market, does that justify their trading on the streets? Do you even know what purpose the road, street or highway is meant to serve? Do you know why it was built in the first place? Was it to serve as a trading post? I beg, correct me if am wrong. If govt. dragged out the traders, can't they look for stalls in other markets, or look for other markets where they can place their wares on the ground? Must they block whole lanes by turning such lanes into a trading mall?  

One last word: I do NOT do my own shopping by the roadside. God forbid. I would not endanger my life, by patronising a street trader where vehicles are moving alongside their wares. With all the weird drivers in Lagos, why should i put myself at risk by patronising a trader outside the market? Most of the time, you even get better & cheaper deals from those inside the market, so why should I subject myself to the stress of buying from one trader on the street?

If on the other hand, you wish to patronise street traders, ah it is your call. The day a danfo drivers' brakes fail, and it rams into the nearest section of street traders, let us hope you will not be there to witness it.

I repeat, if I was a governor of Lagos state I would ARREST all those who patronise street traders. Once you make an 'example' out of those buyers by dealing with them squarely, no one would tell the street traders to stop hawking on the streets or displaying their wares right on the road.

Because my post does not agree with yours i dont belong in Lagos. You dont belong there either. The lagos we want and envision is one that works, people are law abiding and not unnecessarily break laws because they are trying to earn a honest living. Am sure u must have been part of those supoorting the prostitutes cuz they are making honest living too abi. My friend to me you sound like u should be living on the moon or in a remote village where there arent any rules. Even in villages, there are rules and regulations to be observed, and thats my opinion, and i am definitely entitled to have.

yemmight:


You just said that reward wrong behaviour by providing them shop. You should be very reasonable in your responses. In a market, fenced like Awolowo that govt dragged them out without providing alternative, so those affected people you want to call wrong behavior? I am very sure most shopping you do is by the road side becasue how many conducive market do we have in Lag. So you should have been arrested by now.

I agree with that line of your post. If we are looking for the wrong doers in this case. ALL LAGOSIANS ARE GUILTY. I mean Most all of us have at one time or another patronized these people.


@LAUDATE,  NO WHERE IN MY STATEMENT did I say ANYTHING ABOUT REWARDING THE SELLERS. NO WHERE IN MY STATEMENT did I say Anything about Sending them all to JAIL WHILE people like you and I who have Patronized them for years are to be seen as non-offenders. Do you people read at all?? Simple, just as the government has in the past provided LOW INCOME HOUSING for the poor people who happened to have occupied areas that were not conduscive, we can try the same here. and by the way to the @dcdal,  Why can Lagos not take a look and california and copy some of the successes from there?? Is Lagos in your case too DAFT to do that?? and why do you keep talking of Lagos not having enough money to do this and that ? we should instead of going at this head on continue wasting money of the same tact that has lead us no where in the last 20 years?? Did you ever do the math of how much the government of Lagos has had to spend on this same project over and over and how much more the governmement could have done if it had put the money together and embarked on a ONCE and FOR ALL solution from the beginning

Don't you see we are talking of money being wasted each year on this SAME ISSUE. We are Speaking of TIME running away on us when this could have been in Lagos' past and we maybe we have other things to focus on instead. Now, to the one who keeps bringing up the state government as if we are trying to crucify him, ,that is not the case at all. I believe experiencing a different opinion does not necessarily mean we are AGAINST THE GOVERNOR of the state so CHILL. Attacking me is not going to help your case @Dcdal, and please instead of insulting my character when you do not read my own posts, try instead to focus on the topic and get your mind off my person.  I State FACTS about the state here ,  you have so far done no such thing but try to attack my posts yourself. The Fact is This is NOT THE FIRST TIME with THIS in LAGOS. WE have been doing the very same thing for over 20 years now and it has not worked. The FACT IS MILLIONS of dollars have gone into this program already over these years and 20 years later, we are still pumping more money into the same project. INSTEAD OF CONTINUINg This GAMBLE,  why NOt take a better APPROACH,  if you Want the BEGGARS off the STREET, PROVIDE THEM AN ALTERNATIVE OR ACCEPT THAT THE BEGGARS WILL MOST LIKELY COME BACK SINCE THEY HAVE NO OTHER OPTIONS, it seems.

@DEmolaf, you suggested the traders move out of lagos and the other dude is pointing out that you should yourself since instead of proposing a better answer, you are asking why do they not leave. My Answer to your post is this, most of those traders that are being kicked off have lived generations in lagos, many of them have grandfathers and grandmothers who were born and raised in the same house they live today. They are poor does not mean they are criminals per say. They are trying to make an honest living even though they are putting up stalls in wrong places and you know what is funny about all this, for those who ACTUALLY KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT HOW LIFE IN LAGOS IS, Many of those stall keepers are given papers by officials who tell them it is ok for them to park their booty where they are. I am serious, some of them will tell you they rent the space they sit it from some person. I still say this and I stand by it, we need to start COPYING MODELS THAT WORK IN FIGHTING THESE SORT OF THINGS so we can spend more time on other things. How did already developed places do it, let us try that and then see. If you go to places like Johannesburg in SOUTH AFRICA for one ( for the person who has issues with Copying California's model with is way way simple), The Government has provided the people with indoor sheds to rent space in and sell their wares in. I mean you go out there and see, it is still the same rowdy selling and all but it is all indoors and the people RENT SPACE TO SELL IN THERE, yes, those who used to sell their ware outside now rent space from the government to sell inside at affordable rate. Would you call that REWARD IN ANY WAY?? I don't know HOW anyone would. I mean They are PAYING for the space, They are Off the streets, their customers which happen to be people like you and I in here wailing their be thrown off the streets, still patronize them and the Government now MAKES MONEY OFF OF THEM AND the streets are cleaner. How can anyone look at that MODEL and scream it is REWARDING them or pampering CRIMINALS?? I dare anyone in here who ACTUALLY LIVED or LIVES in LAgos to claim he/she has NEVER patronized one of those street stores.

Loudate

This is your post right? So if govt. dragged out traders from Awolowo market, does that justify their trading on the streets?

In one sentence please tell me where you want them to go, in one sentence or otherwise 4get about this discussion.

@Topic

I wonder why anyone in their right mind would want to beautify a dumpster? Lagos is already thrashed.  Nigeria has about 75% undeveloped land and forestry.  Why not start beautifying those from scratch?  Leave the already thrashed areas for renovation later and start allover somewhere else.  It is done everywhere else in the world.

London city can never be renovated. New York city can never be renovated.  But the good people of those nations realize that they can practice what they have learned from past mistakes.  Common sense can tell anyone that.

But alas! In Nigeria, where the use of "bulldozers" is a new phenomenon--they have gone crazy with the idea of bringing down structures and leaving the whole place in a mess. If laws and ordinances were enforceable in the first place, no one would think of erecting illegal structures like most civilized countries.  

Only in places like Nigeria would we display an "upside down" and backward mentality of dealing with problems.  Wasting resources for meaningless projects.  When laws are operational in Nigeria like other countries, then the people will stop building strip malls on the streets and highways. Can you imagine--hawking gala and pure water sachets in London city or New York city--- --unless areas where it is allowed to happen.

Demolaf,

I am very sure those of you that parade yourself as well to be individuals are nothing but empty vessels. Now you have mentioned issue of prostitute as if you have not walked in their ways b4. Are prostitute not human being or can’t they leave responsible lives?. Let me tell you this, while police were busy arresting prostitutes, a member of Security Council constituted by Fashola control a big hotel that harbours prostitutes and such member was also part of decision to chase them out. Ask yourself is he fair to those that were arrested? And you will come here to parade yourselves as saints.

yemmight:

Loudate

This is your post right? So if govt. dragged out traders from Awolowo market, does that justify their trading on the streets?

In one sentence please tell me where you want them to go, in one sentence or otherwise forget about this discussion.

They should go to other markets where there are affordable stalls, or look for other markets where there are open spaces and display their wares on such open grounds, within those markets. I gave the example of Aswani market in one of my previous posts.

I will not support them trading on the streets, because they are exposing themselves to danger from passing motorists, causing traffic hold-ups and bottlenecks that lead to loss of working hours and congestion.

Human life is valuable, in my own books. No one should make himself or herself an cheap target for an accident, by trading on the street!!

laudate:

They should go to other markets where there are affordable stalls, or look for other markets where there are open spaces and display their wares on such open grounds, within those markets. I gave the example of Aswani market in one of my previous posts.

I will not support them trading on the streets, because they are exposing themselves to danger from passing motorists, causing traffic hold-ups and bottlenecks that lead to loss of working hours and congestion.

Human life is valuable, in my own books. No one should make himself or herself an cheap target for an accident, by trading on the street!!

That is the fault of the government that cannot provide laws to guide and protect its citizens. What is the #1 responsibility of "governmens"? To rule. If you cannot rule, then guess what? The citizen take to the streets in anarchy. Why can't they build stores in other areas and relocate these traders gradually instead of causing more problems to ugly cities? The cities are already ugly, so why bother with them anyway?

While I do not support strip malls on highways and side streets, it is only a symptom of lawlessness and the people are only imbibing what they have learned by example--that anything goes!  Can't prunish them for that.  What most countries do is to give the traders alternatives then make it as easy a transition as possible without loss of lives and property.  No, not in Nigeria.

No one has said they remain on the street YET @Laudate. We are discussing finding a way to effectively get them off the street for good. Not have them come back again to the same place or even worse, take over the street the next time.

almondjoy:

That is the fault of the government that cannot provide laws to guide and protect its citizens. Why can't they build stores in other areas and relocate these traders gradually instead of causing more problems to ugly cities? The cities are already ugly, so why bother with them anyway?

While I do not support strip malls on highways and side streets, it is only a symptom of lawlessness and the people are only imbibing what they have learned by example--that anything goes!  Can't prunish them for that.  What most countries do is to give the traders alternatives then make it as easy a transition as possible without loss of lives and property.  No, not in Nigeria.

@AlmondJoy,  That has been EXACTLY WHAT I HAVE BEEN SAYING FROM THE BEGINNING but some seem to think it is REWARDING them in some way.

Kobojunkie:

I agree with that line of your post. If we are looking for the wrong doers in this case. ALL LAGOSIANS ARE GUILTY. I mean Most all of us have at one time or another patronized these people.

Pls speak for yourself. Just because you patronise them, does not mean that other people do. Not everyone behaves alike.

Kobojunkie:

@LAUDATE,  NO WHERE IN MY STATEMENT did I say ANYTHING ABOUT REWARDING THE SELLERS. NO WHERE IN MY STATEMENT did I say Anything about Sending them all to JAIL WHILE people like you and I who have Patronized them for years are to be seen as non-offenders. Do you people read at all?? Simple, just as the government has in the past provided LOW INCOME HOUSING for the poor people who happened to have occupied areas that were not conduscive, we can try the same here.

Go back and re-read my previous posts. . . . .slowly. I never said that you made a statement about 'rewarding sellers or sending them to jail'. I did. And I still stand by those comments. It is not right for govt. to reward wrong behaviour, by providing stalls to people who 'trade' on railway tracks & highways. If they do so, they would be sending a wrong message to the rest of the citizens. That is my point.
Selling items on the highways or placing goods on rail tracks is not acceptable behaviour. I don't know of other societies where such activities would be considered appropriate.

Kobojunkie:

No one has said they remain on the street YET @Laudate,



@AlmondJoy, That has been EXACTLY WHAT I HAVE BEEN SAYING FROM THE BEGINNING but some seem to think it is REWARDING them in some way.

Reward? It is a no win situation. The street is already littered with nonsense. Why demolish more stalls and make them more unsightly. Gradual relocation makes more sense than all the drama of demolition and loss to lives and property to an already impoverished citizenry. Why make life harder for them to "beautify" a thrashy city?

Whats the point in the beautifying Lagos when Lagosians themselves have no internal beauty?

@laudate,  if you had read that post of mine in the first place,  you would at least understand that that post was to ALL persons who replied my last and more. Not just you. Again Laudate, NO WHERE DO I STATE THAT WHAT THE PEOPLE ARE DOING IS RIGHT, that is not EVEN the argument here. The debate remains about how best to deal with the situation ONCE AND FOR ALL. Not for us to come back to the same 2 years or a year from now and then again a year later.


About patronizing them. Here is a direct question for you. Have yoU EVER bought any ware from a street trader in your life,  yes or No?? @Laudate

laudate:

Please speak for yourself. Just because you patronise them, does not mean that other people do. Not everyone behaves alike.

Go back and re-read my previous posts. . . . .slowly. I never said that you made a statement about 'rewarding sellers or sending them to jail'. I did. And I still stand by those comments. It is not right for govt. to reward wrong behaviour, by providing stalls to people who 'trade' on railway tracks & highways. If they do so, they would be sending a wrong message to the rest of the citizens. That is my point.
Selling items on the highways or placing goods on rail tracks is not acceptable behaviour. I don't know of other societies where such activities would be considered appropriate.

Yeah right!  When the "government' behaves in a reasonable fashion, then it would command respect from its citizens.  Only by example as a leader.  Not before.  These people are only doing what they have been taught---lawlessness.  You cannot purnish them for that!

mrpataki:

Whats the point in the beautifying Lagos when Lagosians themselves have no internal beauty?

And what do you mean by that? Is it just a Lagosian problem or a Nigerian problem?----The absence of appreciating "beauty"?

almondjoy:

That is the fault of the government that cannot provide laws to guide and protect its citizens. What is the #1 responsibility of "governmens"? To rule. If you cannot rule, then guess what? The citizen take to the streets in anarchy. Why can't they build stores in other areas and relocate these traders gradually instead of causing more problems to ugly cities? The cities are already ugly, so why bother with them anyway?

While I do not support strip malls on highways and side streets, it is only a symptom of lawlessness and the people are only imbibing what they have learned by example--that anything goes!  Can't prunish them for that.  What most countries do is to give the traders alternatives then make it as easy a transition as possible without loss of lives and property.  No, not in Nigeria.

There are enough laws in our statute books that deal with the safety & security of citizens. Go through them. You are merely advocating for offenders to be spared from any form of punishment.  So according to you: "it is only a symptom of lawlessness and the people are only imbibing what they have learned by example--that anything goes!  Can't prunish them for that." I see. So do we give them a medal for imbibing lawlessness?

There is nothing wrong with govt. building more shops, but there is everything wrong with a person breaking the law by trading on the street or on railway lines & then expecting govt. to turn round and build you a shop after you have broken the rules, by trading on the street.

I guess if we go by your analogy, all other offenders who have broken the rules & imbibed lawlessness[i](e.g. exam cheats, robbers, petty thieves etc.) [/i] should also be allowed to go scot free, after breaking the law in order to meet their own needs!

I am waiting for you to answer my question @Laudate. Then I will tell you based on your own words who you are.

laudate:

There are enough laws in our statute books that deal with the safety & security of citizens. Go through them. You are merely advocating for offenders to be spared from any form of punishment.  So according to you: "it is only a symptom of lawlessness and the people are only imbibing what they have learned by example--that anything goes!  Can't prunish them for that." I see. So do we give them a medal for imbibing lawlessness?

There is nothing wrong with govt. building more shops, but there is everything wrong with a person breaking the law by trading on the street or on railway lines & then expecting govt. to turn round and build you a shop after you have broken the rules, by trading on the street.

I guess if we go by your analogy, all other offenders who have broken the rules & imbibed lawlessness[i](e.g. exam cheats, robbers, petty thieves etc.) [/i] should also be allowed to go scot free, after breaking the law in order to meet their own needs!

Of what use are your "laws" when they are not "enforceable"?  Just to sit in some dusty cartons in a room and watch the whole country go to the pits?  Nigerian citizens are only the product of what leaders we have.  You should deal with the problem of leadership first.  

A government is supposed to make things easier for its citizens because it loves them.  Not make things harder for them because it hates them.  How can I have a child I say a I love and because he plays with his "tractor" on my refuse dump--I decide to destroy his tractor and make him misearable and sad?  Instead, I will build him a designated playground, clear my dumpter and plant a fantastic landscape of flower beds to make sure my child recognizes that that is a "flower bed" and not a dumpster!  You get my drift?

In Nigeria all the environment constitutes is a dumpster and you are penenalizing the citizens for playing in it? I think it is a compliment. If it was something beautiful that was destroyed I would be sad. But streets without drainage systems or one way streets forced to be 3-way streets? Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

Kobojunkie:

@laudate,  if you had read that post of mine in the first place,  you would at least understand that that post was to ALL persons who replied my last and more. Not just you. Again Laudate, NO WHERE DO I STATE THAT WHAT THE PEOPLE ARE DOING IS RIGHT, that is not EVEN the argument here. The debate remains about how best to deal with the situation ONCE AND FOR ALL. Not for us to come back to the same 2 years or a year from now and then again a year later.


About patronizing them. Here is a direct question for you. Have yoU EVER bought any ware from a street trader in your life,  yes or No?? @Laudate

NO!! For just one simple reason. . . .I value my life. And I would not endanger another person's life, by buying from them on the street.

Secondly, people have once told me that you can get much better bargains by going inside the markets to make your purchases. That is why I always go inside the markets to buy what I need.

Thirdly, a neighbour of mine who bought drinks on the road from a street hawker, discovered that those drinks had expired. By the time she checked, money had exchanged hands and the seller had disappeared. It taught me one valuable lesson. If you need to return goods or you need a warranty. . . .pls go inside the market and patronise someone with a fixed shop location or trading address, rather than a roadside seller who might disappear after collecting your money.

almondjoy:

Yeah right! When the "government' behaves in a reasonable fashion, then it would command respect from its citizens. Only by example as a leader. Not before. These people are only doing what they have been taught---lawlessness. You cannot purnish them for that!

So when soldier-man brushes you, it will be ok because that's what he has learned? I think I now understand.

Mariory:

So when soldier-man brushes you, it will be ok because that's what he has learned? I think I now understand.

It is not okay.  But you have to deal with who gave him that power.  "The government" that hates its citizens! If my government loved me, no soldier man would "brush" me unless I deserve a good "brushing" as dictated by humane laws of the land.

Kobojunkie:

I am waiting for you to answer my question @Laudate. Then I will tell you based on your own words who you are.

Ha! ha! ha! Are you getting personal? And who is he?

So before people told you about going inside the market, you never stopped say at tejuosho to buy from those stalls in the front there that were not even stores?? Not even to buy gari or tomatoes?? @Laudate

almondjoy:


Of what use are your "laws" when they are not "enforceable"?  Just to sit in some dusty cartons in a room and watch the whole country go to the pits?  Nigerian citizens are only the product of what leaders we have.  You should deal with the problem of leadership first.  

A government is supposed to make things easier for its citizens because it loves them.  Not make things harder for them because it hates them.  How can I have a child I say a I love and because he plays with his "tractor" on my refuse dump--I decide to destroy his tractor and make him misearable and sad?  Instead, I will build him a designated playground, clear my dumpter and plant a fantastic landscape to make sure my child recognizes that that is a "flower bed" and not a dumpster!  You get my drift?

So if those laws are not enforceable, we should all join hands in breaking them so that the society degenrates into a state of anarchy?

That example of your kid playing with his tractor by a dumpster does not suit the topic under discussion. The street traders are NOT kids, but full-grown adults. They know the difference between right & wrong.

Kobojunkie:

So before people told you about going inside the market, you never stopped say at tejuosho to buy from those stalls in the front there that were not even stores?? Not even to buy gari or tomatoes?? @Laudate

Absolutely NOT. If you have ever taken time out to study those who buy things along the road, you will notice that it is risky for them as they stand in the middle of the road haggling with traders, with horns blaring from other motorists and even okada drivers brushing past and threatening to hit them. Or do you get a kick out of shopping along the road? Is that why you feel other people would do the same thing?

These is an interesting topic,i cant afford to read and not contribute to it.
   Kudos to kobojunkie,yemmight and Demolaf,the,ve all spoken well.
 I want to tell u that those market sellers or pettytraders selling by d roadsides doesn,t like to sell there,but due to  circumstance.
 Let be realistic,this  is a country that govt.dont cater for its citizens.
  There is abject poverty in dis nation,that  some pple out there cant even afford a day square meal.  We are not disputing beautification of lagos,but let the state govt.provide SOLUTION b4 making a DECISION. Imagine somebody with childrens dat doesn,t have any means than to spread his/her wares at the roadside, so as to meet his need.
And within 5/10 mins u demolish there stall without even provide any alternative.
Alternatives that i,m talking about is compensation,if dis particular individuals has money to get a shop,i hope nothing will stop him/her for not renting a shops in better place.
  pls let face facts.dis is a repetiton of what past govt have done in lagos but doesn,t make any change.
             Let BRF leave dis poor people alone except  his ready to empower them and
compensate them.

Well,  if you claim you have never,  I guess you are the only Lagosian I have ever met who would make such a claim then. Going from the last paragraph of your post there, I am going to hold off on answering you cause it seems you do not read what people post at all but read what you want into it and then expect to somehow make a point that way. You can not read my mind dude, so stop trying to and learn to focus on the topic at hand. @laudate


The problem with Nigeria and the Nigerian mentality is that we continue to paint the house and believe somehow the house will fix itself that way instead of actually digging to the root of the problem to solve the issue and get the house fixed once and for all.

We need to start copying from countries that have successfully dealt with these issues and understand how best to tackle the same problem in our situation. Laws in books are USELESS if not enforced and there is no way for government to suddenly try to throw the books at the people without considering the need of the very same people and those who may be affected in the long run. These traders, like it or not as humans and to call them criminals because they are selling in places where they are not to is ok by me. However, we have to sweep up over 99.999999% of lagosians (except people like @laudate here), as criminals as well cause we have all at one time or another 1) patronized these sellers thereby making us ACCESORIES to crime, 2) Benefitted from these sellers economically, by allowing it to continue,  Now we can spend time putting up prisons for most all of lagos since we are all criminals by association OR we can spend time getting a FINAL solution in place to the situation.

JEEEZZZZ


@Wale, that is what would happen in an ideal situation. Come up with a SOLUTION that will actually work and then implement the plan, not doing the same thing over and over and then, like you said,  5 minutes later, have the sellers back again.

Wale_ade:

These is an interesting topic,i can't afford to read and not contribute to it.
Kudos to kobojunkie,yemmight and Demolaf,the,ve all spoken well.
I want to tell u that those market sellers or pettytraders selling by d roadsides doesn,t like to sell there,but due to circumstance.
Let be realistic,this is a country that govt.don't cater for its citizens.
There is abject poverty in this nation,that some people out there can't even afford a day square meal. We are not disputing beautification of lagos,but let the state govt.provide SOLUTION before making a DECISION. [b]Imagine somebody with childrens that doesn,t have any means than to spread his/her wares at the roadside, so as to meet his need.
And within 5/10 mins u demolish there stall without even provide any alternative.[/b]Alternatives that i,m talking about is compensation,if this particular individuals has money to get a shop,i hope nothing will stop him/her for not renting a shops in better place.
please let face facts.this is a repetiton of what past govt have done in lagos but doesn,t make any change.
Let BRF leave this poor people alone except his ready to empower them and
compensate them.

I have actually seen it happen right before my eyes, sometime in 1997, I was in Yaba/tejuosoho area when the army came to clear the place of all those sellers on the street. As soon as the soldiers were out of sight, the traders moved back their bags and bales to their selling spot, as if nothing had happened. I laughed so hard that day at the sight.

laudate:

So if those laws are not enforceable, we should all join hands in breaking them so that the society degenrates into a state of anarchy?

That example of your kid playing with his tractor by a dumpster does not suit the topic under discussion. The street traders are NOT kids, but full-grown adults. They know the difference between right & wrong.

Absolutely NOT. If you have ever taken time out to study those who buy things along the road, you will notice that it is risky for them as they stand in the middle of the road haggling with traders, with horns blaring from other motorists and even okada drivers brushing past and threatening to hit them. Or do you get a kick out of shopping along the road? Is that why you feel other people would do the same thing?

Stop being so dogmatic Laudate.  I used that kid and tractor analogy to show that a government should have love and compassion for it's citizenry!  You get so fixated sometimes you cannot see outside your box.  You keep hitting corners with no outlet of expression.  Then you get stuck on one point like someone with Turret's Syndrome!

No one says to keep breaking the laws.  But you must understand that in a lawless country, anything goes.  To work with the lawless impoverished masses, you have to be diplomatic and caring so they can respect you in return like you will treat a kid.  What alternative are you providing for these petty traders to beautify a pigsty?

why were they there illegally in the first instance? that a law is in place and is not enforced is not an invitation to every tom dick and harry to break the law. Dont you know the law always catch up no matter how long a time?

Why should government give them a place, do u have a business? did government rent your business apartment for you? if government allows  the kiosks and sheds that sell food over septic tanks and gutters and people die of disease and water borne illness or if an outbreak of illness comes due to the location of these stalls - who will you blame - the same government.

Near my office on Allen, every night - the hausa people come and put their wares right on top of gutters and people come there and buy fried egs and breads and tea and u see their wooden stalls etc almost right on the road th next morning - and you say government should fold her arms and look?