Anambra market exco continues road construction despite petitions from oppositions
By Uzo Ugwunze
The caretaker committee of Ochanja Central Market, Onitsha, Anambra State, has continued in her infrastructural development of the market despite petitions by the oppositions to the State Government accusing the market leadership of using the market Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, for the construction of the projects.
Briefing newsmen Thursday, on why the leadership of the market embarked on the construction of another road, third gate road, (after it commenced and completed road construction on the 2nd gate), the market chairman, Chief Bonaventure Muo, hinted that petition writing by the oppositions to the State Government would not deter the leadership from infrastructural development of the market.
“Oppositions in the market are incessant petition writers who thrive in petition writing despite the good things that we are putting in place to take the market to the next level. We have completed 2nd gate and this is the 3rd gate that we are currently working on the opposition is still writing petitions against us to the government that the money we are using for the construction of the road projects is from IGR.
“It is never from IGR but rather from our little donations and good-spirited individual traders who felt that what we are doing is for the betterment of all traders in the market. Even last week they (the opposition), wrote a petition against us that it was money from IGR that we are eating.
“Before now they went to the Commissioner for Trade and Commerce against us and now to the ASMATA PG, Chief Humphrey Anuna, who is a trader and knows everything about traders’ problems, causes and how to solve them. The PG knows that the oppositions are liars.
“We sensitise traders on the need to pay their stallage fees and there has been improvement on the payment.Before, the market IGR went to private pause but now it is forwarded to the State Government,” he hinted.
Contributing, the market scribe, Nze Obinna Maduka, said that for more than one month now it has been praised for the executive’s sequel to the infrastructures, especially roads they are putting in place in the market.
“What we are doing in the market now has not been done by successive administrations in the market. Traders are asking from where we get the money for the construction of the roads and we told them it is from personal donations from both the traders who felt we are doing a good job and the executives.
“The chairman, Chief Muo, wants to show the difference between the present executive and the past leaders by insisting on better welfare for the traders. We have finished the second gate and now on the third gate. The money is not from IGR but from you, traders by way of donations and personal money from the caretaker committee led by our amiable chairman, Chief Bonaventure Muo,” he further hinted.
Earlier, a member of the caretaker committee who also is the Personal Assistant, PA, to the chairman, Hon. Chukwudi Okafor, said that the support from the majority of the traders towards them for the infrastructural development of the market gave him joy.
” Without the determination of Chief Bonaventure Muo, to change the narratives of this market, all these praises from traders would not have been possible. Some enemies of progress still petition against Chief Muo that the money being used for the construction of the current third gate road, comes from IGR. As I talk to you now traders still commend us for embarking on the third gate road without them contributing financially.
“What they are seeing they have not seen it before, courtesy of the chairman, who loves good things and helps to move forward. He wants everybody to be happy irrespective of one’s position in the market and oppositions will not stop him,” he vowed.
