Rivers government, traders bicker over demolition of market
From Victor Harcourt
HEdozie, Port undreds of traders at Obi Wali market, located close to the Silverbird Gallery, Nzamanze Street, Port Harcourt, are up in arms with the Rivers State government over the demolition of the market. Over 2,000 traders were displaced after the demolition of the market last week. Goods worth millions of naira were reportedly destroyed as traders were not allowed to move out their wares.
The traders were allocated some portions of the former Obi Wali Cultural Centre by former Governor Chibuike Amaechi in 2013 after fire gutted the Rumoji market.
In 2007 when Sir Celestine Omehia assumed office as governor, contract was awarded for the reconstruction of the Rumoji market. The contract, which was to be in phases, was awarded at N2.1billion.
While the entire market was cleared to give way for the reconstruction of the first phase of the market, some of the traders were reallocated to the popular Ojukwu Field in Diobu axis of Port Harcourt while others were asked to move to the Obi Wali Cultural Centre.
Some of the traders who could not get allocation at both Obi Wali and Ojukwu Field found available spaces at the Sangana Street rail track, where they displayed their goods on serviceable rail tracks. Those who moved to the rail track did so because they could not afford the high cost of renting a lock-up shop in Port Harcourt.
On a daily basis, the traders’ lives are exposed to danger at the serviceable rail. One of the traders who did not want his name mentioned said, “On seeing an approaching locomotive, the traders will hurriedly move their wares out of the track and come back as soon as it goes. This is what we do on a daily basis to support our families. We don’t have any other alternative as we cannot afford to pay for lockup shops.”
Former Governor Amaechi inherited the market project when Omehia was removed from office by the apex court. He completed the first phase of the market in nine months. On completion of the first phase, some of the traders at the Ojukwu Field were moved to the market while those at Obi Wali waited for the second phase.
The takeoff of the second phase later became a serious political issue between Amaechi and Nyesom Wike who was then the minister of state for education. Wike, who was eying the governorship position in the state had, on several occasions, criticised Amaechi for allegedly abandoning the traders by not completing the market. Wike later took the plight of the traders to former President Goodluck Jonathan, who later made a donation of N200million to the traders to assist them come out of their difficult condition. The donation did not go down well with Amaechi and his supporters who described the donation as political sycophancy taken too far.
The commencement of work on the second phase of the market had remained an illusion until Wike came to power in 2015. On assumption of office, the governor visited the market and promised to complete the second phase. Last week, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the takeoff of the second phase of the market.
While handing over the site to the contractor, the state commissioner for housing, Mr. Emma Okah, said the project would be completed in 12 months, adding that it was one of the cardinal objectives of the Governor Wike administration.
But while the displaced traders waited for the completion of the second phase of the market, officials of the state Ministry of Urban Development invaded it with bulldozers and demolished hundreds of makeshift shops.
Speaking with our correspondent, one of the traders, John Okonkwo, said, “The action of the state government came as a surprise to us. We had not contemplated one day that this administration would treat us this way. This place was allocated to us by the previous administration, with a promise that stores would be allocated to us as soon as the Mile One project was completed. When Wike came to office in 2015, he did not say anything about us, but I know he visited the Rumoji market and promised to complete the second phase.
“They did not give us any notice. We just woke up to see bulldozers. We were not able to remove anything from our stores as they destroyed everything we had.”
Another trader, Mercy Udoh, who lost all her goods during the demolition said, “I used to sell cloths and drinks at the market. Everything in my store was destroyed. I was in the house when somebody came to inform me that Obi Wali market was being demolished. I ran to the market, but before I could get there, everything had been destroyed. We were not given any opportunity to remove anything from our stores. They just came with bulldozers and started pulling down everything.” She called on the state government to assist them come of the difficult situation created as a result of the demolition.
Another trader, who simply gave his name as Jonny, also said he lost everything in his store. He said the stores were allocated to them by the previous administration, pending the completion of the second phase of the Mile One market.
“We are facing a very difficult challenge now. We thought that this government was friendly and would carry certain policies with human face. We were asked to use the place immediately after the Mile One market was gutted by fire. We did not have any problem with the previous administration. We woke up to see bulldozers pulling down all our stores. I did not pick anything from my store. As it stands now, I don’t know what to do and where to start from. I borrowed money to start this little business after the Mile One market was gutted by fire. I don’t know how and where to raise money to repay my debt,” Jonny said.
The chairman of Mile One Traders Association, Kenneth Eze, faulted the demolition of the market. He said the state government did not give the Traders a prior notice before embarking on the demolition exercise.
“We are very shocked at what happened at the Obi Wali market. It is very bad that our people should be treated this way. As I speak now, two of our members have taken ill because of shock. Our people are falling ill, and this not good. We want the state government to have a change of mind and reverse their action,” he said.
He countered the claim by the state government that the market haboured criminals, adding that all the traders were responsible men and women who engaged in genuine business.
“The claim by the state government that the market habours criminals is false. Our members are responsible men and women who do genuine business. For a top government official to make such unguarded statement is very unfortunate. If he said criminals were haboured in the market, he is indirectly saying that I am a criminal. You know the government of the day and how they do their own things. They can say anything to justify their action.
The action of Wike’s government is very callous. How can somebody say that his government is peopleoriented, yet he went ahead to demolish a market with goods worth millions of naira? Is that the type of government he promised when he was campaigning? He came here and promised us heaven and earth, but see what he has done. This is very wicked,” he said.
Eze called on the state government to come up with actions that would ameliorate the negative impact the demolition exercise is having on the traders. He warned that all the traders in the state would occupy the streets of Port Harcourt if government failed to yield to their demand.
Speaking to journalists in Port Harcourt, the state commissioner for urban development, Mr. Chinyere Igwe, said he was not aware that government allocated the stores to the traders.
A special adviser to the governor, Onugbum Onuoha, also said he was not aware that the stores were allocated to the traders. He said the market was demolished because criminals were haboured there. He also said the traders were given a 14- day deadline to move out of the market but they flouted the order.
“I am not aware that this place was allocated to the traders. They claimed the place was given to them by the council, but I want to state that the council has no power to allocate government land to traders. We got a report that they were habouring criminals in the market, and this was very bad,” Onuoha told a radio station in Port Harcourt.