Anambra Govt Denies Evicting Traders from Coke Market, Onitsha

By Olisemeka Obeche

Anambra State government has denied claims that some traders selling vegetables and other food stuffs at a popular Afia Coke, Onitsha were chased out of the market.

A video clip which captured some traders at Oko market near Asaba, who claimed that they relocated to Delta state after eviction from the makeshift market, near upper Iweka had generated mixed reactions on the social media.

In the report posted by Odikpo Udaegbe and monitored by AnambraDaily, the affected traders, numbering about 100 men and women were said to have called for government assistance to enable them develop a new site given to them at Oko market.

Mrs Oliaku Ndive, who spoke for the traders claimed they were driven out of ‘Afia Coke’ by Governor Chukwuma Soludu on the pretext that his administration would provide them a new site for market.

According to her, the place Governor Soludo allegedly provided for them was too small to compare with the number of the traders at the Coke Market.

She further disclosed that relocating traders to the proposed site would render many traders useless as most of them would not find a place to trade, hence the decision to cross over to the Delta state in search of a suitable market site.

Mrs Ndive also claimed that traders at the Coke market also suffered from alleged multiple taxation collected by agents of Anambra state government and hoodlums.

“Anambra state government displaced traders and farmers who always brought their produce to the market to sell without adequate preparation or due process”, she alleged.
Mrs Caroline Emeka, another trader also accused Soludo administration of being insensitive to the plights of traders and ordinary people.

She further alleged that Governor Soludo did not carry the traders along when making plans to relocate them.

She stressed that “traders and farmers who sell within the state should be treated as human beings and not as sub-human beings”.

According to her, they had been given a spacious site at Oko Market, near Asaba, Delta State where they can comfortably sell their farm produce.

When contacted by the AnambraDaily for his reaction, the Chief Press Secretary to Anambra Governor, Mr. Christian Aburime dismissed the report.

“Why will the Governor do that while he is busy wooing people to come to Anambra State for business?!The Governor is doing most of the roads in Onitsha just to ensure business activities go on smoothly”, Aburime said.

“Nobody or government agents could have chased them away. If they shifted their businesses to somewhere else it should be at their own volition”, he adds.