MIXED REACTION TRAILS REOPENING OF NNEWI MOTOR SPARE PARTS MARKET
Reporter : ONYINYE CHIJIOBI
The popular Nkwo Nnewi Anaedo New Motor Spare Parts Market has been reopened nearly one week after it was shut down by the state government for flouting COVID-19 protocol.
The Anambra State Government had last Saturday directed the closure of New Motor Spare Parts Market Nnewi.
According to a press release by the State Commissioner for Trade and Commerce, Mr. Uchenna Okafor, the market will remain closed for a period of one week to ensure full compliance to the order.
The statement also directed the market’s COVID-19 taskforce to report to the office of the Commissioner for Health, for retraining and recertification.
The market has now been reopened and expectedly, the joy of the traders knew no bounds.
In a reaction to the development, two of the traders, Messers Dan Ifechukwu and Charles Ifeka, expressed appreciation to both government and the market leaders for listening to their plea.
However, some of them also recounted the negative impacts of the closure on their means of livelihood as they alleged that the government was unfair to them.
One of them, Mr. Moses Mmaduabuchi, wondered why the market would be shut down without prior notice and warning from both the market leaders and government.
Another trader, Mr. Mike Ani, lamented that the COVID-19 Task Force in the market failed in their duties.
Others, who spoke with Radio Nigeria, voiced out their anger about the closure that jeopardized their survival while it lasted.
Governor Willie Obiano, during his last broadcast on COVID-19, specifically warned that any market which failed to adhere to COVID-19 protocol would be shut down indefinitely.
Many people believed that the nearly one week closure with all its adverse effects on businesses, must have sent a clear signal to other traders across the state that the government would not hesitate to bring down its hammer on erring markets.