Business leaders and other stakeholders in Lagos have canvassed youth empowerment and stricter street trading regulations to curb business disruptions and improve security around business areas like Computer Village, Trade Fair Complex, Balogun Market, Idumota, among others.
The business leaders, consisting mainly of mobile phone dealers on Lagos Island, urged government authorities to restore order and create sustainable economic opportunities for young people.
They spoke to journalists at the weekend, expressing hope that effective empowerment programmes would reduce poverty, curb crime, and improve the business environment.
Jude Ugwah, chairman of Association of GSM Dealers Saka Tinubu axis of Lagos, said unemployment was largely responsible for the growing number of youths operating as informal traders on major streets around the business hub.
Ugwah disclosed that the association had put internal security mechanisms in place to curb criminal activities. “The association collaborates with security agencies and local vigilante groups to monitor activities within the district. We have internal mechanisms to check excesses.
“Some security personnel operate in plain clothes, so if anyone does anything contrary to the law, the person will be apprehended,” he assured.
According to him, many of the youths involved in street trading are graduates from different ethnic backgrounds who act as middlemen, sourcing phones and gadgets from shops and reselling them to customers at negotiated prices.
Read also: Obio/Akpor, one of richest LGAs in Nigeria, clamps down on street trading
“Because there are no jobs, they look for small opportunities to survive. A customer will come, they will run to a shop, get the item, and add their margin depending on bargaining power,” he said.
Ugwah, however, warned that rising unemployment could expose youths to criminal activities and political manipulation, urging governments at all levels to prioritise skill acquisition, trainee stipends, and industrial development for the youths.
However, Olugeshin Shonibare, branch manager of Konga Retail Store on Saka Tinubu Street, said the activities of street traders were affecting legitimate businesses, noting that they compete directly with registered stores without paying rent or statutory fees.
“They disturb those of us who pay millions of naira for shops here. They drag customers, and it affects our sales. Some customers are even scared of them,” he said.
He noted that customers sometimes avoided entering stores located near clusters of street traders and instead asked shop attendants to source items for them outside.
Shonibare also raised concerns about theft, alleging that some traders remained in ungated areas after business hours. “You come in the morning and discover that something has been stolen,” he said.
A company managing director, who spoke on condition of anonymity, called for sustained government support to relocate street dwellers and other social miscreants from business districts in Victoria Island.
He also expressed concern over the growing number of homeless persons sleeping on the streets and in front of offices at night, describing the situation as both a security risk and an environmental nuisance.
According to him, large groups begin to gather in some business districts from about 7pm after offices close, creating fear among workers and motorists.
The managing director appealed to the government to relocate street dwellers from areas such as Kasunmu Ekemode and Saka Tinubu Streets, as well as Akin Adesola, Bishop Oluwole, and Ologun Agbaje Streets in Victoria Island.
He regretted that previous efforts to remove street dwellers from major areas had failed due to a lack of sustained support. “Unless the government is able to provide housing or viable alternatives for them, little can be done. They will continue to stay on the streets,” he said.
He called for a comprehensive approach that combined social housing, vocational training, and structured employment opportunities.
“If they are trained and given meaningful work to do, they will not be a menace to the environment. Right now, we are only coping,” he said, urging the government to treat the issue with urgency to restore safety and stability in Lagos’ commercial areas.
