Ughelli Market Crisis: Government begins forceful relocation of traders on road, walkways, pavements 

By Gabriel Oghenekaro,

The Ughelli North Local Government Council has begun the implementation of the ban on trading along the road, walkways and pavement in the Ughelli main market and Otovwodo market.

A combined team of Nigerian Police, Civil Defence, Federal Road Safety Corps and Ughelli Environmental Taskforce officers were seen forcefully moving items of some resisting traders away from the roads and walkways.

Speaking to journalists shortly after the exercise, the Secretary to the Ughelli North Local Government Council, Hon. Felix Oderokwho who led the team said they were only out to enforce a local government bylaw that has been in existence, adding that the council had earlier given a three weeks ultimatum for the women to move their trades to locations provided by the local government.

He said, “there is already a law by the local government that anyone doing business in that area should vacate it on or before today, 18th October 2021 and our reason for going there is to ask them to abide by the law made by the local government.

“The reason why we are asking them to vacate the place is that they are constituting nuisance and traffic jam. If you visit the Ughelli main market and the Otovwodo market, most especially on weekends, you find out that the roads will be blocked, vehicles and even individuals can hardly move in those areas.

“The local government have put measures in place by providing a place for them where they can carry out their trade without any disturbance. We have asked them to move to those places. The ones in Otovwodo market we provided a place for them at Okogbe, just behind the market, while the ones in Ughelli main market, we gave them a place in the GRA which is behind the Baptist church.

“As a government, we know that these are the means of livelihood for these people, so as a government we know we cannot just go and stop them, we must provide an alternative for them which is what we have done.

“Another reason why we are taking this action was that so many lives had been lost from the crisis resulting from the market and we discovered that it is because of those trading on the road and walkways. Two communities, Ekuigbo and Otor-Iwhreko have been in tussle over the ownership of the market. So as a government, we call the attention of the Monarch and he said the market is owned by Ughelli and that is why it is named Ughelli market.

“It is neither Ekuigbo nor Otor-Iwhreko that owns the market. So what is causing the crisis is people who are going there to collect money from all these people trading along the walkways. So a law has been put in place to sanitise the place to put an end to this crisis, that henceforth nobody from either Ekuigbo and Otor-Iwhreko should go there and collect money from anybody around those areas. Anybody caught would be arrested and prosecuted by a competent law court.”