Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has given reason why he has not chased traders off the streets of the state.

According to IgbereTV reports, Makinde said his decision was as a result of his experience as a boy street trader at Yemetu, an Ibadan neighbourhood.

The governor said this at the Oja Oba Central Mosque, Ibadan, during a special prayer to commemorate his 52nd birthday.

He said, “Somebody said that I was quoted as saying that I would not chase away street traders without providing them with alternatives. Yes, that is true because I know the mentality of street trading. I once sold bread by the roadside in Yemetu.

“I said so because we cannot send them away until we provide an alternative for them. And we have started enforcing that. We did that at Ojoo where we asked people not to trade at the point where we want to situate our modern terminus.”

Makinde thanked the people for praying with him and wishing him well.

He said, “Your prayers are important to me. It doesn’t matter if we have a multitude. What we have here is a quality crowd.” (Agency report)