The residents of Ubeji Community in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, have called for the completion of Ubeji market which has been under construction for over ten years.
They made this call in an interview with newsmen at Ubeji, saying that the building of the market shops had taken longer than expected.
According to a resident, ThankGod Ojogor, the Ubeji Market project was awarded to the Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC) for over 10 years and was still not completed.
Ojogor, who is also a leader in the community, called on the contractors in charge of the project to consider the plight of the traders by completing the project, adding that the market women, especially the aged, who sell on makeshift shops cannot cope with rain or sun.
Patience Ajuyah, a trader at the market, said that the project had been abandoned for way too long.
She stated that there was hope last December when work resumed on the building but to their surprise, the workers left the site immediately after the election.
Another trader, Ama Atamolera, said that the most painful part was that some time last year, their temporary shops were demolished and they were made to be selling in the rain and under the sun.
They called on DESOPADEC and the contractor in charge of the project, Hon. Giftson Omatsuli to take the bull by the horn and complete the market for the community.
Similarly, Uvwie residents have called for the continuous clean up exercise of the major roads and markets in the local government area.
The call was made after the last Effurun Market Day. The vendors had gathered up heaps of garbage at various corners and in the middle of the main roads, waiting for the waste disposal company to clear them up.
Omo Ikede, a provision shop owner at the Effurun market, stated that they were instructed to dump their trash at the roadside by the waste management company.
She also mentioned that the waste management company came only after market days even though there was a regular market every day.
Emmanuel Obinna, a shoe seller, expressed irritation at the heaps of garbage close to his shop, stating that large dump would have been positioned at different places for them to gather their trash.
“It is not hygienic to leave refuse heap on the roadside. It is also not a good site for a city like Uvwie,” he said.
John Odu, in the same vein drew attention to the dump sites on the Effurun Roundabout Flyover and along Warri-Sapele Roads, after, High Court Road, stating that the dump sites defaced Uvwie as a town.
“The roads look good after it was fixed but there is dirt flying everywhere. Some of our major roads like Jakpa road have overgrown weeds in the middle of the roads. If these sanitation issues are not dealt with, Uvwie will be seen as a dirty place,” he said.
Rose Siakpere, an elderly woman selling plantain along the road, stated that she used to be one of those who swept the roads in Uvwie years ago.
“I don’t know why they stopped sweeping the roads but then, I stopped because my children wanted me to stop and start my plantain business. If they start sweeping the roads again, Uvwie will be neat again,” she said.
Vendors and residents at Uvwie called on the Delta State Ministry of Environment and the Uvwie Local Government Council to start a clean-up exercise that will continuously make the roads and markets clean.
