NAN-H-129
Traders
By Kabir Muhammad
Abuja, Nov. 10, 2016 (NAN) Hundred of traders from Nyanya Old Market in Abuja on Thursday stormed the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) over demolishing notice on their shops.
A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent reports that the traders hcarried placards with inscriptions like “Allow Nyaya Market To Be”, “Nyanya Market Is Where We Earn Our Living”
and many others.
Some of the traders told NAN that they were at their shops when the FCDA staff and Police arrived at the market and commenced marking shops for demolishing.
Mr Donald Charles, a cosmetics dealer said “it is sad as there is a pending court order on the issue asking the parties to maintain status quo. We will go to court on Nov. 21.
“The issue is to settle out of court which the judge at the High Court granted. So, we are all shocked to see the FCDA staff.”
Mrs Agnes Idowu, a trader said their lives and that of their family members depended solely on the businesses in the market.
However, the AMAC Vice Chairman, Mr Lawrence Onuchukwu, who addressed the traders, said officers who visited the market were asked to identify shops which were being used as homes.
He said “what happened at Nyanya was due to misinformation, as officers were not asked to mark the entire Nyanya market.
“Some of you will remember vividly when we came to the market, the chairman of the market and executive made a request to us.
“They asked us to remove people who converted the shops to their homes because such people have been giving them problems.
“You people voted us in so we will not kill you; our duty is to make sure we provide conducive atmosphere where you can do your businesses peacefully.”
According to Onuchukwu, if the people continue to use shops as homes, there is the danger of fire outbreak.
“So, we have set up a committee that will liaise with the executive but what we say as government is that those using shops as homes must vacate the market so we can do our job.
“Such people should please leave because we are coming to remove those shanties so that people can do their businesses well.”
Earlier, Mr Ahmed Shehu, the Treasurer of the market association, said the traders were surprised when they saw FCDA staff marking their shops for demolishing.
He said “the officers gave us 24 hours to move out of the market.
“However, we are happy that the entire market has now been shut so we can iron things out with authorities.
“We are happy with the message from the vice chairman who met with us on issues concerning market.”
Shehu said it was true that the market executive requested that those who converted
the market to their homes be moved out of the market and those trading on Wednesday market.
“This is because, on Wednesdays, one cannot move freely within the market but in the past five market days, the roads were open and people were moving freely, we are happy with the council’s assistance.” (NAN)
KM/HA
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Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu