By Okey Maduforo Awka.
Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra state is to visit the headquarters of the Onitsha main market this coming Friday for further discussions on the modalities for the reopening of the market this coming Monday.
However the meeting with the market leaderships across the state is yet to produce any firm resolution as the Onitsha main market remains closed .
However there are strong indications that the security architecture at the market may either be disbanded or reshuffled following lamentations by the traders at the meeting in Awka that they cannot guarantee the security of their goods and shops should they open on Monday.
At the meeting held at the International Conference and Conveniention Center ICC Awka Capital the traders led by the Chairman of the Onitsha main market Mr Chijioke Okparaugo the traders lamented over the security situation at the market as well as the programs of the religious bodies in the area that also affect the resolve to open the market on Monday.
“Your Excellency Sir we want Anambra state to be better and we shall continue to support you in that bid but we appeal to you to improve the security architecture in our markets and even though we have our internal security we need more to assist us so that it would serve as a reassurance that when we open on Monday nothing would happen to us and our shops ”
Continuing Opkalaugo appealed to Soludo to extend the end of sit at home to the motor parks noting that ;
“The motor parks do not open on Mondays and when our customers come to do business on Mondays they do not have access to vehicles to transport their goods to their respective destinations ”
He further urged the Governor to ensure that there would be no church functions on Mondays as according to hime the churches use that opportunity hold functions and the traders would attend those functions instead of opening their shops .
In his response Soludo observed that despite the over 150 security operatives stationed at the main market it appears that it is not enough positing that either the security architecture is disbanded or reshuffled to inject new blood and tonic to the system.
The meeting was adjourned to Friday this week for further meeting at the white house; the headquarters of the Onitsha main market.
