Eviction Notice: Traders, Business Owners In Ilorin GRA Stand To Suffer ₦8 Billion Investments Loss * * Please don’t throw us out like this – Traders appeal to Gov. **”This isn’t just a shop, this is my life. We are being asked to leave everything behind, our investments, our future. Where do we go from here?”
By Omowumi Omotosho and Bamidele Aremu
In Ilorin’s commercial heartland, where the hum of generators, the call of traders, and the shuffle of shoppers usually echo from dawn till dusk, fear now hangs thick in the air.
From Yoruba Road Market to Tanke Junction, Offa Road, and the busy corridors surrounding the Ministry of Works, panic is spreading among thousands of small business owners following a sweeping eviction notice issued by the Kwara State Government.
According to estimates compiled from traders by National Pilot, the traders are set to lose ₦8 billion.
Some of the affected traders gathered to discuss their plight yesterday
During a visit to Offa Road on Tuesday morning, National Pilot observed a group of affected female shop owners numbering over 30, converged in front of Kwara State Environmental Protection Agency, (KWEPA), their faces marked by worry, their voices hushed but urgent. Some clung to keys they no longer knew where to use.
Under the shadow of uncertainty, they stood in small circles, deliberating quietly on the way forward. The atmosphere was heavy not with noise, but with silent fear. There were no protests, only the quiet heartbreak of livelihoods hanging by a thread.
One of the women, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said they were hoping the government would hear our plea and reconsider the decision.
“We are not fighting anyone,” she said, her voice trembling. “All we ask is for a peaceful solution. We have children. We have responsibilities. This is how we survive. We’re appealing to Governor AbdulRazaq and those in charge to find a better way. Please don’t throw us out like this.”
At shops stretching down from the Central Bank Of Nigeria and (CBN) , Tunde Akinola, a phone technician with three apprentices under his care, could barely conceal his frustration.
“I took a loan to expand. I’m still repaying it. If they shut me down without compensation or a new place to go, what happens to the people who depend on me?” he queried.
Along the Ministry of Works–Ilofa Road stretch, Mrs. Biodun , who runs a canteen, is still in shock. “It’s not just about losing a shop. I feed my children from this business. I pay school fees from it. What am I supposed to do now? Go home and cry?”
Also, Mrs. Zainab Lawal, a textile trader who has been operating on Yoruba Road for 12 years expressed frustration over the sudden evacuation.
“This isn’t just a shop, this is my life. We are being asked to leave everything behind, our investments, our future. Where do we go from here. The amount of goods in my shop cannot be quantified because it runs into millions,” she lamented.
Also speaking to National Pilot under the condition of anonymity, a middle-aged artisan who specializes in home furniture along Offa road pleaded with the state government to show compassion, lamenting that no alternative space or compensation has been offered since the eviction notice was issued.
“We are not against development,” he said, wiping sweat from his brow as he leaned against his shop door. “But at least let there be a plan. Where do you expect us to go? How do we start again with nothing?” he queried.
The artisan, who has operated his business along Offa road Road axis for over a decade, recalled with nostalgia how past administrations handled similar situations more humanely.
“During the time of Bukola Saraki, they only asked us to pay taxes. We weren’t threatened like this,. The government then saw us as contributors to the economy, not just people to be cleared out. Today, all we get is a notice to vacate, like we don’t matter.” he added
A passerby, Matthew Hassan who spoke to National Pilot on Tuesday at Yoruba road market, stated that: “It is not just the shop owners who are affected. You’re looking at apprentices, food vendors, mechanics, artisans, all linked to this ecosystem. Displacing them without any structured alternative could set the local economy back significantly.”
For now, the streets of GRA, Yoruba Road, Tanke axis and surrounding commercial hubs remain tense. Businesses remain open, but the cloud of uncertainty hangs heavy.
