Delta market traders protest absence of amenities

Traders at the popular Ogbogonogo Modern Market in Asaba, Delta State, on Wednesday protested against the absence of basic amenities in the market.

The protesting traders, who displayed placards, urged the state and the local governments to come to their aid.

They said the absence of basic amenities in the last three years in the market had negatively affected their businesses, and had stopped customers from patronising them.

The Vice Chairman of the new Ogbogonogo Modern Market Association (NOMMA), Chief Geoffrey Okwuba, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of the market, said the most difficult challenge confronting the traders was lack of a parking space for customers.

He said, “Customers find it difficult to come in because there is no space to park their vehicles; there is no electricity and guaranteed security.

“The market is controlled by the state government and government officials have served us papers to pay up our rents because they will soon expire. They collect a lot of money from us, but nobody is talking about amenities.”

Okwuba explained that the union had enjoyed a cordial relationship with the Asaba community.

He, however, regretted that some indigenous traders had allegedly tried to control the association by force.

He said “The NOMMA was formed to protect the interest of the trader and guard against any form of intimidation and harassment through arbitrary taxes of the traders.”