Peter Anosike
Traders at Alaba International Market, Lagos have expressed delight over the commencement of work on the Volkswagen-Alaba-Ajangbadi road.
The rehabilitation is being carried out by the Ojo Local government council.
Reacting to the development, the traders said that it was a step in the right direction.
According to them, Alaba international market generates the bulk of the internally generated revenue of the local government and as such the road leading to the market should be made a priority.
They said that the state of the road was the major reason the market was losing businesses and customers.
They said that after the rehabilitation there ought to be streetlights and drainage for it to last.
One of the founding fathers of Alaba International Market, Chief Okwudili Ama-Ajo said that to whom much is given much is also expected.
According to him, ‘the popularity which Ojo is enjoying today is as a result of the international market that is located there.’
He said that after the rehabilitation of the road, the council should endeavour to eject the street traders who are helping to congest the road.
Ama-Ajo said that with a smooth road, business would once again begin to flow in the market.
“I have been in this market from the beginning and I can tell you that Alaba International Market generates over 80 per cent of the revenue of this local government. Even the popularity of Ojo local government today is because of the market, but we the traders have not seen any commensurate response or appreciation from the local government with regard to infrastructure. Alaba International Market deserves a first class road with streetlights and drainage system. We also need a modern garage because all the traders and customers park their vehicles on the road and this helps in the congestion that we are having on a daily basis. In Alaba as a whole, there is no standard hospital. These are some of the things that we need in the market,” Okwudili said.
Contributing Dele Busari said that apart from the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, the state of Volkwagen-Alaba road is one of the things that was affecting their businesses negatively.
He said that there is hardly a week that passes without a container or more falling along Alaba-Ajangbadi road.
Busari commended the chairman of Ojo Local Government for the political will to rehabilitate the road so as to ease the suffering of those plying the road.
He said that since the commencement of the reconstruction, the council boss has always been physically present to ensure that the work is going on smoothly.
His words: “I want to commend the Chairman of Ojo Local Government Area for his decision to reconstruct the road. For more than a decade now, the road has been impassible and containers have been falling regularly. Since then, Ojo L.G.A has been having chairmen, but he is the only one that has decided to reconstruct the road. God will bless him for that”.
Ogidi Bakery Materials Market honours past leaders, fetes less privileged
Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
The market union executive of the Bakery Dealers Association, Ogidi, Anambra State, has honoured past leaders who piloted the affairs of the market and also distributed various gift items to the needy.
The award ceremony which came on the heels of the end of year/prayers session of the market attracted various dignitaries and customers in the market.
Chairman of the market, Chief Benjamin Ezeneme said the award and recognition was necessitated by the need to put smiles on the faces of past leaders whose thoughtfulness and genuine love brought meaningful development and value to the market.
Ezeneme said the present executives of the market thought it wise to recognize the contributions of those past leaders towards advancing the growth of the market from their temporal location in Odoakpu, Onitsha to its present permanent site at Ogidi.
Presenting an address of welcome, the Secretary of the association, Mr Ossy Ifem, highlighted the giant strides and positive indices recorded by the present leadership of the market, with efforts geared towards promoting peaceful co- existence.
He observed, among others, that the association has strengthened the Board of Trustee membership through appointment of younger persons and enjoys cordial relationship with the state government; even as he called for increased support to enable them actualize lofty ideas for the expansion of the market.
Speaking, the Chairman Board of Trustees, Chudi Nwokediuko, a legal practitioner who expressed joy for the honour accorded them, endorsed the leadership quality of Chief Ezeneme for his selfless sacrifice, in uplifting the market, encouraging upcoming leaders to toe his path and emulate his virtues.
Some traders like Mr Francis Ezerugharu who spoke to Sunday Sun expressed gratitude to God for keeping them alive to witness the end of the year activities.
They appreciated the clement business environment existing in the market as enthroned by the Ezeneme leadership and endorsed him for a second tenure.
Various food items like bags of rice, semovita, noodles, among others were shared to motherless babies and the less privileged during the ceremony.
Earlier during the prayer session, Evangelist Cletus Anaebo admonished Christians to renew their relationship with God, cautioning against evil thoughts.
He charged the traders to do their business with the fear of God and honesty.
Ochabridgage decongests Nkwo Nnewi market
David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
Ochabridgage, an Anambra State paramilitary agency for roads decongestion and other environmental duties, has carried out a major decongestion exercise at Nwagbara, Nkwo Nnewi market.
A combined team of the uniformed Ochabridgage, Anambra State Traffic Management Agency, Nnewi and the police carried out the exercise with Obi Emmanuel Onyemaechi, Anambra South zonal commander of the brigade who led the team.
The exercise began at the entrance to Nwagbara, Nkwo Nnewi market where there were a large concentration of fairly used and new motorcycle traders that exhibited their wares blocking the major roads.
Most of them were taken by surprise, that they made frantic efforts to reposition their goods on sighting the agencies.
Although no goods were impounded, the defaulting traders were strictly warned not to return their goods to block the road to avoid the consequences.
At the end of the exercise, which extended to 100-Foot Road, there was orderliness to make way for easy trading activities and traffic movement.
Some of the traders who commented on the exercise said that they did not object to government’s decision to decongest the market, but appealed for reconstruction of the road from Nwagbara entrance to the major gate near Access Bank Plc. They complained that the road had remained impassable, especially during this rainy season.
Commander Onyemaechi told Sunday Sun that the team was sent on the mission by the governor through the Nnewi North Council Chairman, Prince Chukwudi Orizu.
He said the objective was to ensure easy passage of customers and traders in the market.
He noted that Prince Orizu had wanted them to sustain a previous clearance exercise that was supervised by the council chairman himself in the market recently.
“The Chairman of Nnewi North, Prince Chukwudi Orizu came last time with some government agencies, including us and worked on the drainage in the market. He did a very good job at this Nwagbara, Nkwo Nnewi market.
“After the exercise, he directed us to sustain the effort. Our working governor, Dr Willie Obiano does not want anybody to block the way and our own is decongestion,” the commander said.
He noted that there were penalties for defaulters, which he said could not be invoked for now “since the traders are cooperating.”
The team later moved to an erosion site advancing towards the heart of Nnewi community and told residents not to panic, that government would do something about it.
Road maintenance: Marine market traders reaffirm support for Obiano
David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
Traders of Marine Modern Market, Onitsha, Anambra State have begun rehabilitation of dilapidated portions of roads in the market for easy flow of traffic and to avert accidents.
Chairman of the market, Chief Uzomili Onyeabo disclosed this to newsmen in Onitsha.
He recalled how traders and their customers had on several occasions escaped death by the whiskers as a result of the bad portion.
He noted that each time a vehicle passed through the marine road there was every likelihood that the vehicle would fall which he said had remained a source of concern to the traders.
“This has made us to resolve to work on the road starting from where we have junction with Onitsha Main Market. You can see we have spread the stones for other materials to follow. Although it is a palliative work that we are doing on the road, our governor has promised us that he will fix the road and others for us.
“We just want it to be accessible pending when Governor Willie Obiano will fix the road as he promised us because at a time traders find it difficult to come into the market,” he said.
The chairman expressed regrets that some group of people at the market had gone to the social media, saying they were the ones working on the road and warned them to desist from that.
“You don’t play politics with the road we are doing for the interest of our customers and ourselves.
“I was surprised when somebody called me on phone and was telling me that some people posted in the social media that they were the ones fixing the marine road. They should desist in their own interest. We resolved at our meeting to do palliative work until government comes to do the main work as promised.
“Government can’t do the whole thing. We can’t be waiting for government all the time. The governor provided us with N20 million under Choose-Your-Project scheme and we used it to rehabilitate the slaughter road. We are waiting on him to give us another N20 million for the second phase.
“We need fire fighting vehicles to be installed in the market. One has been installed at the main market by the governor,” he said.