The Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority, ECTDA, has disclosed that its next point of call in the ongoing demolition of illegal and street markets is the Mayor bus stop market along Agbani Road, Enugu.
The agency had recently moved into and demolished Emene, Eke Obinagu and Abakpa markets that were designated as illegal and obstructions to the growing capital city.
In an interview with newsmen in Enugu, Chairman of ECTDA, Dr. Josef Onoh said that the roads and streets traders at mayor bus stop have refused to relocate to Ikiriki, a new market space allocated to them but have preferred to remain as nuisances, constituting clogs in the wheels of the city development plan.
He disclosed that the ECTDA had given several eviction notices to the roadside traders in many years of both the present and past administrations, yet the occupants remained obstinate, hence the agency’s decision that it will demolish the illegal structures in a few days time.
“As way back as three years ago, the Governor (Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi) had personally gone to that place to tell them to desist from trading on the road. The government also constructed a barrier mesh there, yet these street traders in mayor have decided to abuse all the interventions the government has done in the past years. Now every residential house around there has been turned into a market.
“The roadside trading has over flown into the streets, while they alleged that the local government collects revenue of N100 per day from them to allow them occupy the roads. So we have now decided that enough is enough, we cannot fold our hands and gradually the city turns into a slum. They have tried to use all sorts of sentiment and blackmail to continue their impunity.
“The mayor illegal market received the longest quit notice among it’s like in the state city, even the state governor personally went there to plead with them three years ago. We had warned them on several occasions and now we have given them final notice and the next process is demolition. The capital territory is now applying full measures to sanitize Enugu capital city,” Onoh said.
He expressed disappointment that the Ikiriki new market with tarred road, police post and electric transformer was provided as alternative to the roadside traders, yet the traders refused to go there because they have become habitual roadside traders.
“They have actually formed the habit of trading on the streets and they can no longer separate what is right from what is wrong. To them, wrong is right and right is wrong. They have turned the place into a banana republic, but at the expiration of the notice we will come to enforce it and anybody that we see trading there will be dealt with, goods confiscated and no compensation will be made,” Onoh stated.
