Supposed Protest By Nkwo Nnewi Market Traders Due To Alleged 4.5 Million Naira Charge By Nnewi North Local Government To Rice Traders In Nkwo Market, Charging Of Twenty Thousand Naria to F Line Shop Owners For Shop Revalidation And Numeratin And Other Controversial Issues

For some days now, the media spaces in Nnewi have been taken over by people who have been pushing narratives about how the Nnewi North local government is extorting traders in Nkwo market,particularly those in F-Line and the rice traders inside the market.

The entire issue got to a point that traders in the market threatened to go on protest with placard today.

We however discovered from investigations that most of the traders are not properly informed on the plans of the government,thereby being used by some opposition elements in the market and Nnewi political space to constitute nuisance.

About the 4.5 Million Naira Payment By Rice Traders For Shop Construction :

After the fire outbreak at Nnewi Afịa Mgbede market earlier this year,the traders in the affected market claimed damages running into billions of naira.
To prevent or reduce the possibility of fire outbreaks in Nnewi markets, the government came to a resolve that make-shift stalls will no longer be accepted inside the markets.

The rice traders inside Nkwo market however happen to have majority of them staying in make-shift stalls, where they have goods worth millions of naira.

Moving in line with the new resolution,the government decided to transform their space from make-shift to permanent blocks of shops with deckings and conduit wiring using Cutix cable,all to ensure maximum safety.

The chairman of rice traders was informed and told about the development.He was also told to inform all rice traders to come for a meeting with the local government chairman at the Nnewi North local government secretariat for them to discuss the way forward and be on the same page.

It happened that most of them failed to attend the meeting.They didn’t get to hear the plans the government have for them and were taken advantage of by propagandists.

Going forward with the new plan, the mayor of Nnewi North Hon. Echezona Anazodo threw it open to different contractors and engineers to submit their quotations for building new blocks of shops for the rice traders.

Many quotations were received.The last that was received was a quotation that stated that each shop will cost a total of 4.5 million naira to build.This is including the decking,conduit wiring,landscaping of the surrounding areas.

The Nnewi North local government while still on negotiation with the engineer who submitted the last quotation for a better price is still open to more quotations.
He wants to make sure that quality is gotten at the most affordable rate that won’t be so much of a burden to the shop owners to embark on in this hard times.

Hon. Echezona Anazodo the mayor also told the traders that the government is also making plans to subsidize the building of those blocks, and also make sure that the shop rent doesn’t increase from what they used to pay when construction is done,which is one of the concerns of the traders.

The mayor concluded this part by telling them that they’re being given one month for negotiations to be carried out and also assured them that enough time will be given to them before the project starts.

He also told them that spaces have been made available for every rice trader to keep their goods whenever the construction will finally commence, and that no line will take more than seven days for its construction to be completed.

Talking About The 20,000 Naira To Be Paid By F-Line Traders For Shop Numeration And Revalidation:

In line with the digitalization of markets which is where the world is going and for authentic digital certification of shop ownership, the Nnewi North local government decided that Nnewi Market will go digital.

Apart from each shop being registered digitally on the website being created for the market, it now makes it impossible for people to connive with market leadership or even local government leadership at any time to manipulate people’s shops details to become theirs.

The sum of twenty thousand naira(₦20,000) was proposed to be paid by each shop to carrying out these processes,but the mayor said no one is paying yet and urged anybody who have paid any money to anybody to go and get their money back

As the meeting between Hon. Echezona Anazodo and the rice traders in Nkwo Nnewi progressed with all these clarifications, the traders calmed their nerves as they have understood that the government have some good plans for them.

The mayor also said that the abandoned F-line road, which is a project the traders made contributions to the market chairman for, that Nnewi North local government is coming to take over and complete the project.He also said that a solar powered borehole will be constructed inside the market. All expenses to be paid by the local government.

Going further, the local government chairman complained about the ice fish sellers who were chased away from their space by the market leader and brought to a very unconducive place.
He told the traders that he’s currently building a conducive space for ice fish sellers and other petty traders who have been displaced by the current market leader.

He also mentioned to them that plans to build a standard toilet in the market and in a conducive place is already ongoing, and that when it’s done, the existing toilet that is at the very unconducive market centre will be demolished.

The meeting ended in happiness and the traders were glad to get first hand information from the mayor against several propagandas and false narratives being spread by some mischievous people.