The Rivers State Government has assured the Rumuwoji Mile 1 Market traders of plans to reopen the market in January 2024, five years after it was shut.
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the market, located in Port Harcourt city, was gutted by fire in 2016.
It was rebuilt in 2019 by the former Nyesom Wike-led administration.
Also Read:
- Inspector arrested with car snatched at gunpoint
- FG approves salary increase for workers
- Alleged illegal demolition of family building: Octogenarian leads protest to Lagos Assembly
- Court remands cleric for alleged rape
- Edo 2024: Court strikes out suits seeking to nullify Ighodalo’s PDP candidacy
Governor Siminalayi Fubara announced the plan to reopen the market on Thursday when he paid a thank you visit to the traders for their support during the general election.
Fubara expressed gratitude to them for contributing to the state’s socio-economic development.
He assured them that his administration, known for its responsiveness, had taken note of their concerns about the allocation of the shops.
The governor gave assurance that the stalls would be equitably allocated to them, with no interference from politicians.
He urged them to continue to pray for his administration in order to enable it to deliver more dividends of democracy to the people.
Earlier, the traders begged the governor to reopen the market for them.
The President of the Reformed Traders Association of Nigeria, Dede Chinedu, said their businesses had suffered serious setbacks due to the lack of space for trading in their makeshift location.
Chinedu thanked the governor for his “unprecedented gesture of recognising and supporting traders”.
He lauded his efforts aimed at prioritising their welfare and promised that they would continue to rally behind him in his programmes and projects to make the state better.
A major highlight of the event was the inauguration of the market leadership and unveiling of a Christmas package donated to the traders by the State Government, which included bags of rice, umbrellas, aprons, hampers and cash.