Flood in Anambra market: Pedestrian Bridge, 50 shops to cave in – PG
By Julie Sylvia, Onitsha
Unless urgent step is taken now to save Ogbaru Relief (Main) market, near Onitsha, Anambra State, from raging flood menace, no fewer than 50 shops and a pedestrian bridge in the market will cave in this rainy season.
The President General of the market, Chief Ndubuisi Ochiogu, made this disclosure to newsmen Wednesday, adding that sand bags are being used as minor palliatives to checkmate the rampaging flood that had earlier washed away about 30 shops.
“The flood which started its menace at the Sakamori drainage system that passes through the boundary between the market and Onitsha/Asaba/Lagos expressway, left in its trail, uprooted electric and telephone cables, water bone pipes, among others when it earlier started to destroy the shops and has presently taken a large portion of land in the market.
“A portion of the by-pass to Onitsha/Owerri road and Onitsha/Enugu expressway will soon cut off unless the Federal and State Governments, especially Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, come to the rescue.
“According to Igbo adage you have to start solving your problem until your helper comes, we call small boys, (barrow pushers) whenever it rains, who park sands inside bags to heap there. We pay #200 for each bag and the bags about 200 or more are dumped at the damaged portion to put little resistance to the rampaging flood,” he further revealed.
On security put in place to protect wares of traders, he revealed that the market transformer has been repaired and fortified even as solar lights have been installed inside and outside the market.
Stressing the need for fortifying the transformer, he recalled that about two years ago a trader was allegedly electrocuted by the transformer, adding that he does not want such ugly incident to repeat itself.
“There is nothing I start that traders don’t help or support me. I packed block for the fencing of the transformer, some started buying cement, others sand, somebody even volunteered for workmanship since he can’t help financially. It is the initial money I started with, is the only money I contributed” he stated.
“We have steady power supply till I was out of office, I came in, I reached agreement with EEDC that I will be paying certain amount monthly, which I was doing till I left, the person in charge then didn’t pay the money for that seven months I was out, when I came back, EEDC revised our agreement as it was earlier, insisting that it was their stand, earlier we owed #11million plus, I told them to tell me how we will be paying monthly which they did, so I recharge every month, from 2021, the money came down to #8million plus, from 2021 to January 2023, if I were in the office throughout, it will be down to #5million or #6million,
“I am renovating the transformer because EEDC claimed that the transformer was tampered with, that I will pay fine before the restoration of the thing,” Ochiogu revealed.
Also on solar lights he pledged to still install them at Aba and Lagos parks as the areas are always hideouts for criminals at night even as he vowed to install network services that have eluded the market for years now.
“About network, I have been talking with MTN, I have called them,they came and we are on where to install and where not to, but I told them to mount it on top of my shop or any where they think is better just to make sure there is network everywhere in the market. They said that if we have started earlier for this, by now, network would have been everywhere inside this market and they don’t even know that there is no network inside the market,” he added.
Also on touting he stated that, “There is nothing like touting in this market as it were at the time of using gun and knife to collect revenue inside the market but now, my administration is not for knife and gun, if you tell traders what to do, they do it. Our security levy is #100, still some don’t pay, this market is the only market that pays poorly on security,” he lamented.
On the market conveniences he hinted that the toilet was still at the completion stage stating that since the person who claimed to have bought it when he was out of the market said he should be refunded about #3million he spent on the construction.
” I insisted that I will only balance him his expenses not the money he spent for bribe, he left and I have not seen him again. I am looking forward to this July ending if he didn’t come, I will meet Director on Market, since we now have Special Adviser, on Markets, I will complain to him, I would have completed the toilet, now the park is being messed up because there is no place for convenience,” he lamented.
