March 10, (THEWILL)- A cross section of traders that were affected by the Bayelsa State Government’s order on relocation of the Etegwe-Okutukutu off Tombia Road in Yenagoa Local area have not only lamented their woes but also blame the government for their current predicament as most traders could not do business on the government allocated area due to absence lack of facilities, such as borehole security, accessibility, refusal of customers to patronise them and consequently appealed to the state government to match action with words.
Speaking to journalists on fact finding, traders, such as Sunday Obi from Kolokuma/ Opokuma, Governor Douye Diri’s kinsman, knocks Bayelsa State, saying there is nowhere two markets could exist within one community, they are giving the government dirty slap, asking them to leave where they have being doing business, but chased them to a swampy land that is flood prone, haphazardly sand-filled without an abbatoir, water and security for their goods at the end of the day, saying government’s insensitivity had given private market owners to frustrate government good intention, calling on governor Douye Diri not to pay them back in bad coins after their massive support for his Governorship election.
“Can you imagine, during the election they came to campaign for our votes and now that they have won. See what government is doing to us”
Also speaking Gladys Internet urged the government to sink a borehole and a slaughter house and condemned the haphazard sand-filling and without perimeter fencing .
While Elo Edward and ljeoma Ukeagbu spoke against the government’s insensitivity towards their plight.
According to them, last Saturday when government took action, traders moved to the designated area. Now that government had gone to sleep five private market owners have rendered government good intention’s prostrate.
Speaking, the Chairman of the Etegwe – Okutukutu Market association,Alhaji Dahiru Yau said,there is no where people can trade in this market without the provision of basic needs of the market, such,as toilet,access road, perimeter fencing, borehole and security,calling on government to provide these amenities for the market to boom and that the absence of these basic needs have continued to scare traders,hence they preferred the private markets springing up along the Okutukutu-Etegwe communities.
Also speaking, a meat seller, Gbenga Benson Bamigboye, said personally he was not ready to move from the Alekeme market owned by an individual since he enjoys patronage, as there was nothing wrong in establishing private markets since they contribute to the revenue generation to the state government.
He berated the state government for relocating the market to a forest where cows awaiting to be slaughtered, without the provision of basic amenities befitting a market.He cited Rivers state where a pocket of privately owned markets exist with other markets without problems.
Our correspondent reports that while the private markets were booming with buyers and sellers, the government owned market site was with empty tables without buyers and sellers.
It could recalled that the Bayelsa State Government has adduced the need for safety and a conducive operating environment as compelling reasons that informed its decision to relocate the popular Tombia Market to its new site.
The Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, made this known in an emergency meeting with leaders of the traders association and representatives of the various units in the market at his office in Government House, Yenagoa.
Justifying the action of the state government, Ewhrudjakpo noted that the former site of the market was sitting on a high pressure Shell oil pipeline known as the Kolo Creek to Gbarain Trunk Line, which posed a grave danger to the lives of those transacting business there.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Mr Doubara Atasi, at the weekend, the Deputy Governor emphasized that as a responsible government, the prosperity administration would not fold its hand and watch people die avoidable deaths in the state.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo observed that the relocation had further enhanced the beauty and security of the area, and therefore, appealed to the traders to remain peaceful and law abiding as government works within the limits of available resources to make the new site conducive for them.
He said government had already acquired and sand-filled over 42 plots of land for the new site of the Tombia Junction market, also known as the Okutukutu-Etegwe Market, adding that efforts were underway to acquire more land and temporarily fence the area.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo, who warned against indiscriminate imposition and collection of levies by unauthorized individuals, assured the traders that only the State Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment would oversee the newly relocated Okutukutu-Etegwe Market.
While urging them to always cooperate with the Prosperity Administration, he equally assured the traders that government would look into their complaints including goods that were allegedly burnt by security personnel in the course of enforcing the relocation order.
He said: “You have been very peaceful and have always shown love to your government. Therefore, this meeting has been convened purposely to hear from you; to hear your grievances.
“But I want you to know that what government is doing is in your best interest. As a responsible government, we will not fold our hands and see our people die unnecessarily.
“The place you have been using is sitting on a high pressure oil pipelines and that poses great danger to your lives. Many of you are familiar with what happened at Jesse in Delta State some time ago. We don’t want that to happen here.
“Government has already acquired 42 plots of land for the new site of the market. Another 42 will be acquired to further expand it. The new location is government-owned. It is no longer community land. So, no community boys will go there to molest you.
“Bayelsa belongs to all of us. We are not doing this to discriminate against anybody, but to provide a more conducive and safe environment for you to do business.”
Earlier in their presentations, the Chairman of the Traders Association, Tombia Market, Mr. Nigeria Ewhrudje, and his Okutukutu-Etegwe Market division counterpart, Alhaji Dahiru Yahu, said the traders were ready to cooperate with government to relocate to the new site.
They, however, decried the situation where some of their goods were allegedly destroyed by security agencies at the market.
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