Only Nigerians could convert organised confusion into organised commerce… But must survival always replace planning? Markets are more than places to buy and sell. They are part of the city itself. They deserve proper roads, drainage, parking, waste management, pedestrian walkways and access for the elderly and persons with disabilities… Ladipo does not need demolition; it deserves rehabilitation. Let it retain its hustle but lose its chaos… After all, a market should sell spare parts, not spare headaches.
HAS anyone visited Ladipo Auto Parts Market lately?
If your car has a headache, somebody there already has the prescription.
Nestled around Papa Ajao, Mushin, Ladipo began humbly in the early 1980s. Today, it has become a full-blown republic where engines, bumpers and gearboxes appear to hold daily constitutional conferences.
The shops hug one another like long-lost cousins. Walkways have quietly resigned from duty. Motorcycles, keke riders, wheelbarrows, mechanics and pedestrians all contest for the same two square metres of road, while a self-appointed traffic commander shouts, “Nna, park here!” with the confidence of an airport control tower.
Yet, somehow, business flourishes.
Only Nigerians could convert organised confusion into organised commerce.
But must survival always replace planning?
Markets are more than places to buy and sell. They are part of the city itself. They deserve proper roads, drainage, parking, waste management, pedestrian walkways and access for the elderly and persons with disabilities.
Ladipo does not need demolition; it deserves rehabilitation. Let it retain its hustle but lose its chaos.
After all, a market should sell spare parts, not spare headaches.
😂 Moral of the Satire 😂
Growth without planning eventually becomes congestion, and commerce should never become the only architect of our cities.
