Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Ogbete Main Market Traders’ Association (OMMATA) says it is streamlining wheelbarrow pushers’ operation in the market to ensure security and safety.
The President-General of OMMATA, Chief Stephen Aniagu, disclosed this on Wednesday to newsmen in Enugu while handing over recovered goods of a customer by a barrow pusher on Saturday.
Aniagu, who is also the President-General of Enugu State Amalgamated Traders’ Association, said that the market would soon organize an orientation for all barrow pushers to ensure they adopt best and beneficial practices.
According to him, we have good plans for them; we are trying to organize orientation and reorientation for them all.
“We will start by inviting their executives and elders first and later call all together to fashion out a functional and formidable leadership for them as well as get their numerical strength.
“After the orientation, we are going to streamline them through biometric and full details capturing on them and this will be followed by giving them ID cards, special aprons with individual numbers, phone numbers and their names tagged on it,” he said.
Aniagu said that with this, anybody dealing with a barrow pusher in the market, we know his name, individual apron number and if possible his phone number.
“This is to check crime and ensure that no foreign barrow pusher, who does not have an identity, infiltrates into them and commits crime or moves away with someone’s goods,” he said.
The market boss said that the orientation would also cover their ensuring the safety of everyone as they carry out their barrow pushing operations.
“Daily, we receive complaints of barrow pushers injuring unsuspecting customers due to some carrying what covers their view and excessive loads.
“We are already working to re-orient the barrow pushers on safety as well as to set-up a task force to monitor their operation and ensure that they operate within responsible safety levels,” he said.
Aniagu, however, advised everybody coming to market to buy and transact business to be organized and be very watchful over their goods.
He urged customers to be ready to follow barrow pushers conveying their goods in real-time and properly direct the barrow pushers as they move with their goods/wares.
“We are assuring that the market leadership through the watchful eyes of our security wing will continue to ensure security and safety for traders, customers and any other persons having something to do in the market,” he added.
