This came as he urged the people of the state to vote for a party that has a record of keeping its promises, like the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the coming elections.
The new and modernised Oyingbo Market, rebuilt on its original site in Ebute Metta, is now a four-floor structure with 270 lock-up shops, 632 open shops, 48 open offices, three cold rooms, one fire service station, 66 parking spaces and 134 toilets.
Efforts to rebuild the market, which has been in existence since 1938, has moved from one administration to the other.
In 1991, it was demolished with plans to turn it into an ultra-modern market.
The then chairman of the Mainland Local Government, Dr Babatunde Larinde, tried to rebuild it through partnership with the private sector, while inviting the late business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola, to lay the foundation.
During his governorship campaigns around the state, Fashola had, while responding to an appeal by the leader of the market, Alhaja Bushirat Balogun, said he would rebuilt the market if voted to power.
Addressing an audience consisting of market men and women, government functionaries and business stakeholders, as well as APC party supporters, at the site of the new structure, Governor Fashola recalled that the new market was a promise he made in 2007 when he was seeking election as the governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
“Today, I am here to hand over the market in fulfillment of that promise. In this way, I hope that you can still cling to the hope that our democracy can deliver on your promises if you vote for politicians and political parties who keep to their promises and work hard to deliver on them,” Governor Fashola said.
Noting that many Lagosians voted for him in 2007 based on the promise to rebuild the market, the governor said it was based on such premise that, in spite of the challenges on the site, he kept coming there to demonstrate his commitment to keep the promise.
“You all know, I am not seeking any political office in this election, but I cannot forget that some of you voted for me on the basis of my promise. I am here today to keep my word,” he said.
He said after consultations, the government had concluded plans to allocate 618 of the shops to the original owners.
He thanked all those who made it possible for his administration to deliver on the commitment.
In her remarks, the Iyaloja of Oyingbo, Alhaja Bashirat Abeni Balogun, commended Governor Fashola for his excellent performance in the state in the last eight years in terms of infrastructure renewal, saying the governor had, within his tenure, lifted Lagos to become a reference point for other states of the country and other countries in the world to emulate.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, had noted that the new Oyingbo Market, which, according to him, was built to meet international standard anywhere in the world
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