MIXED REACTIONS STILL TRAIL ALLOCATION OF SHOPS AT EKE AGBANI MARKET

The Leadership of traders association at Eke Agbani Market, Nkanu West has condemned the recent accusation of multiple levies by a group of traders in the market against the local government council describing it as misleading. The Chairman of the Association,Chief Jude Chukwu stated this while addressing newsmen in Enugu.

Chief Chukwu while commending the council for the steps being taken to address the discrepancies in allocation of shops by the past administration in the area, noted that the traders would support the move for a conducive business environment.

“There is nothing like Shop Owners Association, they should allow the local government council to do what they are doing, nobody is against that. The people he used in making announcement on air are not traders, they are not my executives. I don’t know them.”

The market Chairman frowned at the attitude of some individuals using fake association to fabricate stories capable of causing trouble in the market and advised his members to remain law abiding.

Also speaking, a trader, Mr Jones Orji noted that he market was one of the major revenue points for the local government, calling their members to ensure they obtained shops from the government and not from unauthorized individuals to avoid loosing their shops.

“People should be careful in transacting any business in terms of purchase of shops in Eke Market, so that they are not duped.”

Mr Cyril Aninwaike who headed a committee set up to ensure proper allocation of shops in the market, stated that it was observed that some individuals allotted shops to themselves without government’s approval. Mr Aninwaike said that the council was working with the report of the committee towards correcting the anomalies.

“It was the panel that discovered that the entire 20 shop blocks given to the butchers were wrongly allocated with the name, Gerald Emmanuel. All these shops that are now recovered from wrong allocations by the panel is now re- allotted to new people and they are paying at Union Bank in Agbani there.”

The market leadership maintained that they would not tolerate any attempt to disrupt the already existing peace in the market.

OBINNA OGBUKA