Roadside Trading: Osun Traders Contravene Traffic Rules, Risk Lives

TRADERS in Osun State, especially in Osogbo and its environs, have continued to display their wares and products by the roadside in contravention of traffic rules.

OSUN DEFENDER visited some markets in the state capital and other parts of the state and observed the prevalence of business activities by traders at the roadside.

The situation, according to observations by the medium, is prominent at the Akindeko, Orisunmbare, Oja-Oba, Igbona, and Ota-Efun markets in Osogbo; the Owode-Ede market, Sabo-Irojo, Roundabout, and Adeti markets in Ilesa; the Odo-Ori and Oja-Oba markets in Iwo; and the Oja-Tuntun and Sabo markets in Ile-Ife, among others.

Some residents of the state who spoke to OSUN DEFENDER called the attention of the state government and its agencies to the situation, saying it has continued to endanger  lives.

The residents urged the government to take the necessary action to avert the life-threatening practice.

At Orisunmbare market in Osogbo, OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the former administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola erected a net-fence to prevent traders from moving closer to the road.

But many traders would prefer to display their wares and products outside the net-fence.

While some people blamed the government for failing to take decisive action on the roadside traders, others argued that the government should find an alternative market space for the traders before enforcement. 

Speaking with the medium on Wednesday, a resident of Osogbo, Mr. Kayode Olasunkanmi, said the situation needs urgent attention to avert danger.

According to him: “This needs urgent attention. If a vehicle’s brake fails and injures or kills some of the traders on the road, people will blame the state government for not doing the right thing. Those people are even making it difficult for vehicles to park correctly on the road.

“People keep risking their lives to make sales. Something needs to be done, especially at Igbona. Traders, there is something else. Every evening at the market is a war, and korope drivers are worsening the situation.”

It is always a tug of war at Owode Ede Market every market day. OSUN DEFENDER was at the market on Tuesday and noted that traders were obstructing the flow of traffic with their wares and products displayed by the roadsides.

The traders encroached on the road while the traffic wardens could not do anything.

Traders were seen rushing to pack their wares from the roadside whenever they noticed the movement of heavy duty vehicles plying the road.

OSUN DEFENDER noted that successive governments in the state had made efforts to curb the excesses of the traders but yielded no positive results, as traders continued to display their wares in disobedience to the traffic rules.