Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
Traders at Ogbaru Main Market have sought the intervention of the Anambra State Government on the degenerating Sakamori crossing behind the fence of Ogbaru Main Market, near Onitsha Anambra State.
Traders who disclosed this said that the collapsed portion of the Sakamori was caused by this year’s early rainfall, worsening the already damaged portion of the same Sakamori which they had been battling with over the years.
In a Save Our Soul message to the governor captioned, “Erosion Menace In Ogbaru Main Market: Who Will Hear Our Voice,” the traders said they have been in dire stress of erosion for some years, pointing out that countless efforts and messages have been put across several times to relevant authorities for early intervention but all to no avail.
The message which was signed by the President General of the Market, Chief Ndubuisi Ochiogu and the Assistant Secretary, Chief Bucknor Agu, and copied to the office of the Anambra State Chief of Staff; Federal Ministry of works, Awka; Anambra State House of Assembly; and Special Adviser to the Governor on Trade, Commerce and Industry; called for intervention to address the looming disaster.
According to them, “22 shops have already been lost to midnight rainfall, while goods worth hundreds of millions of Naira have been washed away by flood.” They also said security wall of the market has collapsed while hundreds of shops have already been affected by the erosion.
The traders disclosed that the Sakamori channel connecting Upper Iweka and Owerri Road by-pass through their Market fence down to River Niger has been dilapidated thereby causing constant collapse and paved the way for erosion inside their market.
“At the last count, Ogbaru Main Market is seriously endangered as erosion caused by the damaged Sakamori has posed serious gully site like that of popular Nanka gully erosion.
“It is time to save Ogbaru Main Market before the entire market would be engulfed by erosion. Our President General has been trying on his own little way to curtail the menace but it has degenerated to a full scale gully erosion,” they said.
