Happiness Henshaw
Worried about the increasing danger that roadside display of wares is posing to her citizens and residents, the Akwa Ibom State Government has issued a one-month ultimatum to traders who sell by the road-side around the Uyo metropolis to vacate or face wrath of the law.
Making this known in a statement issued on Wednesday, 21st June, 2023, Secretary to the State Government, Prince Enobong Uwah, said the ban became necessary because their illegal activities have posed serious challenges leading to events of avoidable accident, loss of lives and other valuables for road users.
According to the statement: “The attention of the Akwa Ibom State Government has been drawn to the activities of illegal roadside traders who carry out commercial activities along major roads, streets, junctions, pedestrians’ walkways and access roads leading to markets around the Uyo metropolis, which activities are responsible for creating traffic bottlenecks and impediment to free flow of traffic.
“The activities of these street traders are unacceptable to the State Government and is left with no option than to protect the larger majority of road users who are daily slowed down by activities of the illegal street traders, who also litter the surrounding of our markets with refuse and pose serious challenges leading to events of avoidable accident, loss of lives and other valuables for road users.
“To this end, the Akwa Ibom State Government has directed that all illegal commercial activities along major roads, streets, junctions, pedestrians’ walkways and access roads leading to markets around the Uyo metropolis must relocate back to the markets, to give free flow of traffics for other road users.
“Henceforth, Government will no longer condone the excesses of these unauthorized display of wares by illegal traders on our roads, thereby creating artificial bottlenecks and has therefore, directed that within One Month from the date of this publication, all activities involving buying and selling are taken off the roads and into the markets designed for such activities.
“Government has also directed the relevant security agencies and market leaders to collaborate and deal decisively with erring street traders, as sanity must be returned to our streets and culprits brought to book.
Given the objective of Government in continuously and vigorously protecting our investment on road infrastructure and sustaining our unbroken record as the cleanest city in Nigeria, Government is however optimistic that the various Market Unions and other stakeholders would cooperate with Government in curbing the menace of street trading around the markets within the metropolis.”
