April 13, (THEWILL) – There is palperble danger occasioned by the rising activities of roadside trading around markets areas in Uyo metropolis, Akwa Ibom State, leaving much to be worried by authorities involved.
Apart from causing both human and vehicular traffic in the affected areas, the safety of the traders as well as buyers, even passersby on the roads is put at risk as such activities in some occasions have led to fatal accidents.
THEWILL observes that some of the markets are on the express way, where heavy duty vehicles carrying fuel of divers kinds ply often and they need to go very slow in market areas against their made and break system in such vehicles are difficult to control in case of failure.
THEWILL recalls that the state Government had on February, 2021, banned street trading and gone ahead to set up a task force to ensure the full compliance, but all seemed not to be working as traders have summarily returned to streets of the market.
The situation at present shows that such task force had either gone to sleep or is not working according to the specifications of the state Government.
A visit to some of the markets within the Uyo metropolis particularly, popular Itam and Akpan Andem markets revealed that sellers prefer a little space by the roadsides to all the space inside the market.
Investigations by THEWILL reveals that the preference is because inside the market is constantly muddy, some with stagnant water and heaps of rubbish left unattended to for days.
According to some market women who spoke with THEWILL correspondent, it is always worse during the rainy season as everywhere is flooded inside the market, making it difficult for buyers to consider buying anything that is not found on the roadside
It was also discovered that even some of those selling on the road are shop owners inside the market, but had to bring out their wares outside.
A yam seller at the popular Akpan Andem market, who identified himself as Billy, told our correspondent that the situation got worse during lockdown, occasioned by the outbreak of Covid-19, where markets were locked for supposed fumigation.
He said people who were selling on the roadsides have refused to return to their stalls inside the market, even when the market was opened for normal market sessions.
“There was a time everybody was forced to leave the road and return to the main market. All the chicken sellers at the chicken plaza had their kiosks along this Udo Umana Street, the whole place was dirty and stinky. After several warnings, bulldozers came in and destroyed so many things”, he said.
He added, “There is no proper drainage system, the internal road network is now occupied by traders, even the motor park inside the market is occupied by second hand materials (okirika) sellers with big umbrellas and canopies, living just a little portion for vehicles.”
The visit, however, revealed that over half of the lock-up shops inside the market are vacant due to the bad state of the market.
It was also gathered that buyers even encourage this menace as they have noted in an interview that they prefer buying at roadside as they claimed that inside the market is always muddy and stinky.
According to them, “if there are no sellers on the road, we will have no choice, but to go inside and shop. But the unfavourable condition of the markets is something to worry. It will be appropriate if the authorities do something urgently about the poor condition of market in the state.”
A cross section of market women at Itam Market, in Itu LGA of the state, who spoke to THEWILL blamed ticket agents of encouraging the road side trading in the area.
“Sometimes state government taskforce will come and drive them into the market but those ticket boys will go and meet them to return to the Street. And knowing that they sell more on the road side than inside the market; they will return.
“The ticket collectors know that they make more money from those Street sellers. While they collect say N100.00 for those inside the market, one agent collects up to N500.00 from a seller. Sometimes you see three different agents collecting N500 each from one trader.
“They don’t even issue them ticket after collecting the money. Any Street trader that refused to pay them, they will carry your goods. Sometimes you see them struggling with Vegetable sellers. Some of the collectors move about with wheel barrow, if you don’t pay, they pack whatever you are selling inside the wheelbarrow and go.
“There are cases when you bring the money to pay them and ask them to return your goods they will not.
“If you go to that Meat building, you will see only few people selling, most of them are outside. Unfortunately, you will find people selling very close to heaps of refuse. I don’t think that is healthy”, a fruit seller, who gave her name simply as Suzanne, explained.
Speaking to THEWILL on the issue, the Chairman of Itu Local Government Area where Itam Market is located, Hon. Barr. Etetim Onuk, complained that though it was not an easy task to get traders off the streets, he is doing all within his powers to restore sanity to the market.
The Chairman, who spoke during an interaction in his office said he had ordered that traders remain inside the market from morning till 5.00pm and come out to the pavement from 5.00pm and close at 6.00pm because of lack of electricity in the market currently.
“Without sounding immodest, let me say that traders are the most difficult set of human beings to deal with. We have taken so much pains to completely prohibit street trading around Itam Market, but it has become an Herculean task because of the nature of persons involved.
“As a step towards complete eradication of street trading, we came up with a strategic engagement; from morning till about 5.00pm, nobody is permitted to sell on the roadside, but because there is no light inside the market for now, we allow them to stay on the pavements, knowing fully well that by 6.00pm the market is officially closed”, Onuk lamented.
He assured that he was putting in extra effort to ensure that electric power is restored in the market and that would give the the boldness to enforce strict compliance to the no street trading order.
He blamed the multiple levies to overzealous agents, who don’t carry out his orders, saying that because of such complains, he had a town hall meeting, where he practically cut down on not only the number of tickets daily or weekly, but the amounts involved.
Onuk, who appreciated the state ministry of environment for their role in keeping the market clean, however, called on the state Government to look into the abandoned road project through the market, saying such has channelled flood into the market, making most parts of it to be muddy during the rain season.
However, analysts had it that the only solution to the menance is for the relevant authorities to use the money gotten from the traders as levies to make the market habitable, adding that such would encourage both the traders and buyers to do their transactions inside the market.
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