GROUP HELPS TRADERS' MOVEMENT TO NEW MARKET!

‎After years of waiting, traders at the Isheri Oke Aiyetoro Market, Lagos State, finally found home not too long ago when members of the Winners Chapel, Region 28, lent them a helping hand.

The winners, as the members of the church often referred to themselves, cleared the portions of land given to the traders by the government and generally made the place habitable for business.

It was ‎learnt that the traders were moved by the government from their former place in the Berger area to the new place, which is close to Isheri town.

Trouble, however, arose when the traders got to the new place and discovered that it was a thick bush.

Initial appraisal was said to have revealed that the traders would need to clear the bush and put some necessary things in place to turn it into a market. It was gathered that the traders were unable to raise the needed cash.

To make ends meet, the traders reportedly prepared makeshift stalls at the fringe of the bush and started their businesses.

But the members of Region 28 put smiles on the faces of the traders with their intervention, which turned a hitherto bush into a place where market activities could take place.

The Regional Pastor, Kola Eke, said the intervention was the church’s way of reaching out to communities around where their places of worships were. He tagged it a liberation raid outreach.

He said, “The Bishop (David Oyedepo – founder of Winner Chapel) said we needed to identify with our community and bring them closer. He added that if we share with them, it would show that we care about them.”

The pastor also said the venture was a way of evangelising, adding, “Jesus said we are the light of the world and in order to identify with them, we have to share love with the community. We are particularly concerned about the salvation of their soul, but to also let them know that we care about the community.

“This is a new market, it needs to be cleared and expanded and of course the response of the community has been tremendous. The market people received us well and they gave us opportunity to pray for the market.”

Eke said the market was relocated to another place to reduce the pressure on the main road.

He noted that since the place needed to be cleared before the traders could move in, the church decided to take it upon itself to clean up the place for the traders, cut the trees and provided them with waste drums.

“We have done medical outreaches around here and we gave out materials to the people,” Eke added.

While expressing her delight, the market leader, Mrs. Janet Edun, said the intervention was a relief to the traders.

She said, “We were on it for about three years. Government allocated this place to us as a market when it felt that being on the road was dangerous.

“We are glad that the church came because we have not been able to do it ourselves. We are appreciative and we pray that God will help you. Please don’t leave us. You did it for free. You saw the problem.”

The Babaloja of the market, who is also the Otun Baba Adinni of the town’s central mosque, Alhaji Tajudeen Amusa, said the relocation was unexpected; hence the traders were caught unprepared.

He said, “We were unexpectedly moved. The town gave us the land. We were on it when God intervened.

“We are all brothers and sisters. Religion should not cause a problem. We all own the market. We have Igbo and Hausa people here. We don’t want any problem.”

Another market leader, Chief Musiliat Adebesin, said, “We are happy because we are now at peace and it will be easy to allocate the stalls.”‎