Anambra Traders Lost More Than 50 Shops, Resorts To Sand Slabs To Wage Erosion
By polycarp Ifeanyi, Onitsha
Traders at Ogbaru Main Market, near Onitsha, Anambra State have resorted to use sand slabs to wage erosion at the collapsed Sakamori at the front of their Market’s second gate.
Addressing journalists at the scene of the collapsed Sakamori, the President general of the Market, Mr. Ndubuisi Ochiogu explained that what prompted traders to resort to sand slabs was to reduce further escalation of erosion since they could not fold their hands and watch their Market been taken over by flooding.
He disclosed that more than one thousand bags of sand slabs have been provided to heap at the collapsed portion of the Sakamori as their own little way to control the erosion until Federal Road Maintaince Agency ( FERMA) and state government could come to their rescue.
” This problem we are facing began since 2022. When we noticed that one portion of this Sakamori has developed fault. I quickly informed Federal Road Maintaince Agency ( FERMA) and State Government. But, unfortunately, when FERMA came to fix the damaged portion, I was illegally removed by erstwhile Commissioner for Trade, Commerce and Industry, Dr. Obinna Ngonadi.
So, I was not there to direct them on how they would fix it and people who were there also failed to direct them because they don’t know the extent of the damaged portion of the Sakamori and that was why ( FERMA was not able to fix the Sakamori perfectly. Since then it has continued to degenerate up to this level.
If I were there and directed ( FERMA) on what to do, we would not have landed into this mess. Invariably, government is also loosing because these affected shops by erosion are owned by potential traders who are paying revenue to the government ” Ochiogu posited.
Mr. Ochiogu further lamented that traders have spent a lot of money in order to control the effects of the flooding at the area but all their efforts proofed abortive as more than 50 shops already engulfed.
” We have even summoned meetings with Anambra State Chief of Staff, Mr. Ernest Ezeajughi and others at the office of State Secretary General (SSG) because of this issue. So, we have intimated relevant authorities but they said they would come. But, we are still calling them once again to assist us”
Contributing, one of the Market patrons and appointed supervisor of work on the Sakamori, Mr. Anthony Achisi affirmed that the leadership of the Market had written letters to ( FERMA, State Government and others, saying that they promised to come to fix the Sakamori but since then none of them have been sighted.
Similarly, the vice Secretary of the Market, Mr. Bukuno Agu described the erosion caused by the collapsed Sakamori as alarming, pointing out that the President general of the Market, Mr. Ndubuisi Ochiogu had been marvelously trying to surmount the challenges but the menace of the erosion emanating from the Sakamori is beyond what traders could attend to.
He said that the level of work done at the Sakamori has eaten all the resources of the Market, stressing that what the traders is even interested is the lasting solution to avoid further escalation of the erosion otherwise, the entire Market would be engulfed by flooding in this rain season.
Some of the affected traders who spoke and appealed to the relevant authorities to assist them included, Mr. Okechukwu Azigba, Mr. Uzoma Ogbufo and Mrs. Christiana Onovo.
They lamented that if not the illegal removal of Mr. Ndubuisi Ochiogu in the office initially, ( FERMA) would have fixed the affected portion of the Sakamori perfectly and they would not have been suffering this untold hardship.
They poured accolades on Mr. Ochiogu for his relentless efforts and his financial commitments to ensure that the portion of Sakamori is fixed once and for all.
