Traders Lament Lack Of Amenities At Balogun Shopping Mall 
Published on March 25, 2013 by pmnews   ·   No Comments
Traders in the new Balogun ultra-modern shopping mall located on Lagos Island have cried out over lack of basic amenities in the mall
Some of the traders who spoke with P.M.NEWS BusinessWeek said that the management of the mall keep asking them to pay huge sums of money for various service charges without providing basic amenities in the mall.
One of the traders, Ngozi Emelelu said that despite the N70,000 being paid by every shop owner in the mall as service charge, the mall is currently in total blackout as the only generating set providing electricity to the mall has packed up.
“The management of the mall is asking us to buy a generator at the cost of N9million for the mall and we have refused because it is not our business to buy a generating set for the mall. Every shop here pays N70,000 as service charge and we have over 240 shops in the mall. The 80 kee-clamp shops here pay N30,000 for the same purpose. We pay this to maintain security, generator, toilet facility, and the general cleaning of the complex, yet the management still wants us to buy a generating set for the mall. This is just too exploitative. They have even kept us in the dark since we refused to pay for the generating set.”
Balogun ultra modern market
Speaking on the poor management of the mall, she said: “The security post has been rented out as shops. The restaurant which is located at the 2nd floor of the mall and is supposed to be the place where we go and eat has also been rented out as shops. The loading bay (car park) has also been rebuilt as attachment shops and rented out to people.”
She added that the amount of money they pay for shops alone is enough to do so many things without asking for additional money.
“ The prices of the shops varies according to its location; the ground floor is the most expensive where the tenants paid up to  N750,000.  The first floor pays N550,000, the second floor pays N300,000 while the third floor pays N250,000. With this, there should be better maintenance in the shopping mall.
Another trader in the mall, Ndubuisi Micheal noted that the problem in the mall is not about the power supply alone but that there is poor management generally.
He said: “At the end of the year, they ask us to pay additional N5,000 to N10,000. This has happened so many times. This time round, we are saying no because our monies are not well managed and not judiciously used. We are crying to everyone that can help  us out of the problem we are having now. Since the beginning of this year, water hasn’t run in the toilet. If you go round the mall, you will see that where there should be waste bin, you won’t  find one. They have rented out a number of attachment which is over N120,000.  They collected N50,000 from them and this is affecting movement of customers. The generator post is also affected. Where there should be ventilation for the generator, they have blocked the whole place with attachments (shops).
Another trader in the mall, Yusuf Eniola lamented the manner the mall is being managed. “Imagine the calibre of people that own the mall and it is being run like a street market where no one has a say. They have turned all the relaxation places into shops and attachments,” he added.
Eniola appealed to the Lagos State government and other part owners of the mall to address the issue.
Attempts to get the management of the mall to speak on the issue was not successful as no one in the management office was willing to speak to our correspondent.
Balogun ultra modern mall is owned by Senior Union Bank Officers Association, SUBOA, VIZEN Nigeria Limited and the Lagos State government.
—Motunrayo Idris