The Special Adviser to the Governor on Trade, Commerce and Industry, Chief Nwaka Inem, has reassured traders at the Ekeoha Shopping Center Aba, that the current administration of Governor Alex Otti has not approved any further demolitions at the market.
Chief Inem gave the assurance on Wednesday, while addressing traders at the market after inspecting the Phase 1 site of the ongoing reconstruction at the market.
The Governor’s Aide who also serves as the Chairman, Ekeoha Remodeling Committee, emphasized that the Governor’s primary concern is the comfort and convenience of traders during the reconstruction process.
“I want to categorically state to you that the Governor has not approved any further demolition.
“It is the position of this government that before any other phase of demolition will start, this one (Phase 1) will be completed and people will start trading in it. That is the message from Dr. Alex Otti.
“The primary interest of His Excellency Dr. Alex Otti is comfort”, he said.
Chief Inem explained that the government understands the hardship traders are undergoing due to the ongoing project and is putting pressure on contractors to deliver the first phase as soon as possible.
“The Government of Dr. Alex Otti is determined that this place must be delivered timely because we know that people are going through a lot of inconvenience.
“We put too much pressure on the people handling the job, both the concessioner, the contractor, sub or major, to make sure that this section of the project is delivered because when it is delivered, it reduces the pressure on everybody, both on the traders and on the government”, Chief Inem explained.
He clarified that the Remodeling Committee had planned a town hall meeting to engage with traders and provide updates on the project, but that meeting was rescheduled due to a letter from the market leadership requesting an audience with the Governor.
“We got a letter from your leaders and His Excellency said that before you do that meeting, let those people that signed that letter and maybe some others come and see the government on Monday with the Chief of Staff presiding”, he explained.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Trade and Industry, Hon Kingsley Nwokocha reassured traders of the Governor’s commitment to completing the shops on schedule.
“We are here to reassure every trader in this market that His Excellency stands with you and that he wants these shops to be completed on time, so that each and every one of the traders will move into their new shops”, he said.
Hon Nwokocha appealed to traders not to accept any misleading claims from people spreading false information, assuring them that no shops would be demolished until the current project is completed.
He reminded the traders of the administration’s support for continuity in market leadership during the project and revealed that he personally appealed to the Governor to retain the current executives to ensure stability.
In his remarks, the Chairman, Ekeoha Shopping Center, Mr Emeka Okeke expressed gratitude to the government representatives for personally visiting the market to dispel the ongoing rumors.
Mr. Okeke also appreciated the government’s directive to halt any further demolitions until the completion of the first phase, reaffirming the traders’ continued support for the present administration and urged all traders to remain united in the interest of progress.
He also commended the State Government for demonstrating its commitment to swiftly completing and handing over the first phase of the market to traders.
