The leadership of Imo State Amalgamated Market and Traders Association (ISAMATA) has disclosed that about 420 shop owners at the demolished Ekeukwu Owerri Market have regained their shops through their intervention and partnership with the state government.
The shops according to him were destroyed during the demolition exercise embarked upon by the former administration of Governor Rochas Okorocha.
The Secretary of the association, Mr Don Chris Okere disclosed this in a chat with Nigerian Tribune in Owerri Monday.
He assured that further negotiation is going to ensure that the rest of the shop owners regain their shops.
The scribe used the medium to dismiss the rumour of attack of workers of Imo Palm Produce at Irete in Owerri West LGA, along Owerri/Onitsha high way by his staff.
He said that the people said to have attacked the workers of Imo Palm Produce are not the staff of ISAMATA, insisting that the leadership of the association did not send any of their staff to the place to either attack anybody or know the activities of the Palm Produce for any reason.
The scribe explained that Imo State Palm Produce are not under ISAMATA but under a different department in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
He said that for obvious reasons of insecurity in the state, the government is not planning to hold any election in the markets.
He said: “they are not our members and we did not send anybody to go there to beat anybody”.
He said that since the inception of ISAMATA, traders in the state now have a strong voice unlike before when the reverse was the case.
He said: “before it was easy for any government to go into the market and destroy it, but today such things do no longer happen because the traders today have a voice.”
Okere boasted that under the present leadership of ISAMATA since inception, there has never been any protest by traders in the state.
He said that within this period of ISAMATA, the traders have been able to access some loans and palliatives from the government resulting from their good relationship and partnership with the power that be.
On infrastructure, the Secretary commended the state government for building access roads around the Relief Market Owerri for easy and smooth business.
He said that the attention of the state government has been drawn to a deep gully that is ravaging the Timber market at Naze in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State.
The association scribe assured the traders of their continued commitment of the leadership for the protection of their interests in some months to come.
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