Aba displaced traders cry for help

Aba displaced traders cry for help.

Traders displaced from Waterside Market, Ogbor Hill, Aba, on Thursday called on Abia government to assist them to recover from their losses.

The state government ordered the demolition of the shanty shops and evacuation of traders at the market on Feb. 4, a day after an accident claimed many lives there.

Government equally ordered the relocation of the traders to the Good Morning Market, also at Aba.

Speaking with a correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Aba, Mr Alpheus Ajiogu, Chairman of Waterside Market Traders Association, enjoined the government to give the traders some assistance.

“Many of us traders at Waterside Market reside in Obingwa Local Government Area and it costs a lot for us to get to Good Morning Market where government has relocated us.

“The most challenging issue now is that the road to Good Morning Market from People’s Road, Obingwa, is in deplorable condition.

“We are managing to pass through the road now because it is the dry season.

“We are begging government to reconstruct People’s Road to enable us and our customers who come from neighbouring Obingwa and Ikot Ekpene in Akwa Ibom to easily access Good Morning Market.

“We are also asking the government to please assist us with some money because the sudden demolition of Waterside Market caused us lots of losses as we did not remove our properties and wares,’’ he said.

Ajiogu also urged Abia government to ensure that the new abattoir at Omuma-Uzo in Ukwa West Local Government Area was completed.

He noted that the abattoir was only for slaughtering of cows and not a market to sell meat.

The chairman also requested for the completion of the roofing of shops allocated to the displaced traders at the Good Morning Market.

He said that some parts of the market in the valley should be landfilled to secure the traders’ goods and make movements in and out of the market easier.

In another interview, Mr Ezinna Ogbonna, Chairman of Good Morning Market Traders Association, said the market had more than 4,000 unoccupied shops, noting that many of the shops had not been roofed.

He called on the state government to roof the shops so that traders’ goods would be secured now and during the rainy season.

Ogbonna also requested for the grading of market road networks and the provision of electricity to enable those who depended on electricity to conduct their businesses.

He thanked the state government for providing three months moratorium for the relocated traders during which they would trade without paying rents.