No fewer than 50 shops and a pedestrian bridge in Ogbaru Relief (Main) market, near Onitsha, Anambra State might likely cave in before the rain subsides.
The President General of the market, Chief Ndubuisi Ochiogu who disclosed this to newsmen on Wednesday said a portion of by-pass to Onitsha/Owerri road and Onitsha/Enugu expressway would soon cut off.
He however said sand bags were being deployed as minor palliatives to checkmate the rampaging flood which earlier washed away about 30 shops.
He said, “The flood which started at the Sakamori drainage system that passes through the boundary between the market and Onitsha/Asaba/Lagos expressway, uprooted electric and telephone cables, water bone pipes when it earlier started to destroy shops and is taking large portion of land in the market.
“A portion of the by-pass to Onitsha/Owerri road and Onitsha/Enugu expressway will soon cut off unless the Federal and State Governments, especially Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, come to the rescue.
“Once it rains, we engage wheel barrow pushers who park sands inside bags to heap there. We pay #200 each for about 200 bags or more which we dump at the damaged portion to put little resistance to the rampaging flood.”
On security put in place to protect traders’ wares, Ochiogu revealed that transformer in the market had been repaired and fortified as well as installation of solar lights inside and outside the market.
“I am renovating the transformer because EEDC claimed that the transformer was tampered with, that I will pay fine before the restoration of the thing,” he revealed.
The market leader further disclosed that era of touting in the market was over, including use of gun and knife to collect revenue inside the market.
“My administration is not for knife and gun, if you tell traders what to do, they do it. Our security levy is #100, still some don’t pay, this market is the only market that pays poorly on security,” he lamented.
