“Ikeja Computer Village relocation won’t happen till 2020” – traders

The Lagos State government has announced it would relocate Ikeja Computer Village to Katangowa. But traders don’t expect the relocation to happen any time soon.

“Katangowa is an open-roof market,” Chimezie, who sells used laptops at Oremeji Street, told Newsroom.

“We can’t move there till the government build the kind of structured we have here in Ikeja. Or do they expect us to build the structures ourselves?

“By my calculation, it may take up to three years to get Katangowa ready for us,” he said.

Another trader, who identified himself as Osita, said the relocation will not happen.

“Is this the first time they’re announcing it? We’ve been hearing about this for 15 years but here we are still trading in Ikeja,” he said.

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Millions of buyers and sellers visit Ikeja Computer Village weekly. The government said it decided to relocate the market to reduce environmental degradation and traffic congestion, and to make Ikeja truly residential.

“If at the end of this year, Computer Village is not moved to Katangua, I will not come here next year,” Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Wasiu Anifowose, was quoted to have said.

“It is a done deal; we have held a stakeholders’ meeting with the traders and they agreed to the relocation plan,” he reportedly said.