The mountain of refuse in the Onitsha Main Market, Anambra state, is
overwhelmingly unbearable, making the traders worried and afraid of
potential health hazards.
The refuse littering some access roads of the market have helped to
further block the drainage channels, causing water flooding, motor and
human traffic jam.
Mr. Kenneth Onyeka and Isaac Chika, Chairman and Secretary respectively
of the market new leadership however doused the fears of imminent
epidemic in the market.
Onyeka in an interview with journalists in Onitsha on Wednesday said
that steps were being taking including distilling of gutters by the
traders and talking with the government contractor handling the refuse
removal in the market to speed up evacuation.
“Our major challenge now is to focus on the sanitation in the market as
the state government had ensured enough access roads within for business
to thrive.
“The new access roads by the state government in the market are now a
departure from what it used to be when we were suffering of not enough
roads within.
“We plead with the government to allow the traders to handle some of
things in the market for easy accountability, particularly the
sanitation jobs being handled by its unserious engaged contractor.
“We, traders have started opening all the blocked drainage channels in
the market for free flow of water in the gutters to enhance
environmental cleanliness,” Onyeka said.
According to him, the traders are ready to work with the state
government to improve “easy way of doing business in the market”.
He commended the state government on the new strategies of storage levy
collection which had helped to reduce revenue leakages and illegal tolls
collection by touts.
“No more illegal levy collection in this market for now, government had
done a lot to reduce such in Onitsha main market,” he said.
Onyeka assured the new leadership of Anambra State Amalgamated Traders
Association (ASMATA) recently set up by the state government of
unalloyed full support.