Anambra State Govt Relocates Coca Cola Market Onitsha To Permanent Site.

Anambra State government has shut down the popular Coca-cola market, Okpoko and relocated the market to its new permanent site behind Power Mike, Atani road in Ogbaru Local Government Area.

The relocation follows the plan of the state government to restore the area designated as an industrial area to its original purpose.

Traders in the market had been advised by the state government through the Special Adviser to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Trades and Markets, Chief Evarist Uba to move to the new site before December 3, 2023.

Following this deadline, the Managing Director of Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra, OCHA Brigade, Comrade Celestine Anere led the enforcement team of the Brigade and vigilante groups to the market in the early hours of today to ensure compliance to the order five days after the expiration of the deadline.

Coca-cola market is known for all kinds of perishables with traders from different parts of the state and beyond converging on it to sell their wares.

Speaking to journalists during the enforcement, Comrade Anere stated that the decision of the state government to relocate the market to its new site at Power Mike, Atani road is irreversible due to the environmental degradation and traffic congestion being constituted by the traders in the area, especially in the evenings

Comrade Anere frowned at the unhygienic state of the market environment and said that there is plan to beautiful the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway from the Bridge Head to Amansea.

He also expressed dissatisfaction that traders in the market are beginning to encroach on the road and assured that the Governor Chukwuma Soludo administration is committed to ending every wrong practice in every sector of the economy of the state.

Reacting to the development, a trader, Mr. Tony Obiajunwa pleaded with the state government to reconsider its plan to relocate the market, saying that vehicles bringing goods to the market find it easier to access the old site.

Mr Obiajunwa said, on the contrary, the road to the new permanent site in Atani is not motorable, thus will make access to the market difficult roads and also highlighted that insecurity in the area will pose great risk to traders and their goods.

He, therefore, asked the state government to hold a roundtable discussion with the leaders of the market to find alternative solutions to the relocation.

Appealing to Governor Soludo to intervene in the matter, another trader, Mrs. Nkechinyere Chibuikem and a widow, Mrs. Blessing Ifesiaba lamented that traders in the market will incure huge losses before their customers will start to visit the new site as most of their goods are perishables.

They pleaded for more time to enable them to properly communicate to their customers.

As at the time of filing this report, the market has been shut down and sealed by the state government.

Traders resorted to hawking their goods while wheelbarrow pushers were making brisk business.

The men of OCHA Brigade and security agencies were also on guard to ensure compliance to the state government directives.

By Chibuzo Obidike ( ABS News )