Enugu State Governor, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on Monday appealed to traders in the State to desist from obstructing free flow of traffic.
Ugwuanyi, who visited several roads in the State, was visibly annoyed over the level of road obstruction occasioned by activities of illegal traders.
Gov. Ugwuanyi, who was accompanied by the Commissioner for Environment, Amb. Fidel Ayogu, District Police Officers of Ogui Road Station, Enugu, and Central Police Station, Ogbete Market, Enugu, Senior Officials of the Enugu State Capital Territory Development Authority, among others, trekked the entire stretch of both markets to address the affected traders and identify illegal shops to be removed by the relevant government agencies.
Apart from traders, commercial drivers were equally seen loading passengers outside the motor parks, a situation that also led to serious decongestion in all the places visited.
He, therefore, directed the police, the civil defence, the Enugu Capital Territory, the Enugu State Ministry of Transport to ensure that the roads were cleared for free flow of traffic.
Places visited by the Governor and his team included the Market Road, Aria Road and the New Market, where traders displayed their wares freely on the roads.
At the various places visited, Ugwuanyi told the traders that “you are my people, that is why I came here myself to pass this information across.
“I have been here on two occasions; I am here again today, making it the third time. I don’t want any of you to be harassed or arrested by the security agencies because such situation will make you to spend the little money you have in seeking for bail.
“That is why I have come to appeal to you that at the close of business today, you leave with your items. We don’t want to see people trading on the road. Enugu must be safe and clean.
“If you paid anybody money to stay here, give me his or her name so that I will go and recover your money for you.”
At the New Market, Governor Ugwuanyi equally pleaded with tricycle riders, popularly known as keke riders to stop loading passengers on the road.
“You are all my friends; I don’t want anybody to be arrested. I have told you to move into the park and to be orderly. What we are talking about is cleanliness; what we are talking about is security. Things must be done the way they should.
“If you look, you will see that you are blocking this road; so, I have order to the police, the civil defence, the ministry of capital territory, the Enugu North Local Government to restore normalcy on our roads. If after today, all these things should be off the roads.
“We have constructed this road as we promised you; we are now working on the road that leads to Ngwo after that we are doing the one going to Iva Valley. We need your support to ensure that these infrastructures are not just maintained but be used for the purposes they are meant for”, he charged the residents.
DAILY POST reports that it was a lucky day for two of the traders as they got automatic jobs from the State Government.
Ugwuanyi announced the job offer after the traders said they were trading on the roads owing to lack of job.
When he enquired whether they had certificates, two of the traders said they were University graduates.
The Governor announced employment for them and financial support for each of the other 29 traders in the area to enable them move their wares to an approved location.
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