By Julie Sylvia Onitsha
Chief Ifunwa Samuel Ejike, the chairman, Old Motor Spare Parts Dealers Association, Mgbuka Obosi, Idemili North Local Government Area, Anambra State, disclosed weekend, that they started sanitization of the market when he came on board with the sack of touts and touting.
” During our last meeting with ASMATA President General, Chief Humphrey Anuna, we discussed extensively on the issue of touts and hold-ups in markets and how to curtail them if not total elimination. Every market has ASMATA make-way team, (road decongestion outfit), we use them for clearing of hold ups within the entrance and exit ways in the market.They are doing well.
“There is nothing like touting in Mgbuka market, my security men are working and the anti touting squad set up by Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, use to come inside the market to checkmate touts.
“Our Governor did well by saying that he will sack market chairmen who sponsor or allow touts to operate in his market. Touts are ill wind that blows nobody good,” he stated.
Also on power supply he said that, “I restored electricity in the market which I see as very necessary in life. I did it when I assumed duty as the market chairman. For the past eight years before I came on board as chairman, there was no electricity in the market.
” I went to EEDC Ogidi and found out that our market owed a huge sum to them which was as a result of non power supply to the market.
I have to sought it out and restored power supply in the market.
“I later found out that we didn’t have enough security personnel, they were 25 in number, I have to increase the number to 50. I mounted security lights everywhere in the market such that if you come here at night, it will be as if you are in daylight due to lights every where,” he further disclosed.
According to him there is no more hold ups in the market as pothholes were filled with sand, courtesy of men sent by the Governor to work on some roads within the market axis.
He went further to hint that when he took over that there were only four toilets in the market, out of which two were functional, because of small size and faulty suck away pits which resulted in the pits being filled every two weeks.
“So I dug bigger suck away pits, bought facilities and constructed 14 toilets which are now working. So I am after whatever that will make this market to move forward,” the market chairman stated.
Asked on revenue base of the market he said, “In the history of this market, as I asked, when I came on board, this market has not collected up to #5million to #6 million as revenue generation. But when I came, i paid up to #38million to the government in one year.
“So Mgbuka paid the highest IGR during my tenure and I promise the state government that this second, 2023 levy, that the government will see our more effort. If you watch our governor, he is a very sincere human being. Whenever you are in office, you have to be sincere, it is the sincerity that resulted in the truth.
“There is on going construction of access road now by the governor, we are asking for the installation of fire fighter truck in the market. Every Anambrarian has to support Governor Soludo. In the history of the state, no past governor has done what the governor is doing especially on roads. Up to 400 kilometers plus roads.
“He employed up to 5000 teachers, his one youth two skills initiative, to reduce unemployment. These are what I tell people here, so about 95 per cent of this market support our governor because they are witnessing his good works in the state,” Chief Ejike affirmed
