Bad Road Is Killing Our Business, Traders Lament

Traders at the Egbelu community market in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State have appealed to the state government to reconstruct the four-km road linking it with other parts of the state.

Alhaji Samiu Ajulo, the Chairman of the Egbelu Market Traders Association, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt on Sunday.

Ajulo noted that the only access road to the community had been in a very deplorable condition for a long time.

Aside other hardships, Ajulo said that the poor state of the road was affecting business in the market as people from other communities and council areas found it difficult to access the community and the market.

“The market has an abattoir that serves some markets in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor local governments.

“But due to the poor condition of the road, meat sellers cannot come to the market to evacuate meat to other markets.

“Besides, the market also serves as an avenue for local farmers to sell their produce but the bad road makes it difficult for most of them to come to the market, ” he said.

The chairman observed that residents of neigbouring communities who usually made bulk purchases of food items because of their freshness and low prices, no longer patronise the market for fear of damaging their vehicles.

He said that the few commercial vehicles, including motorcycles that plied the road charge high fares which sometimes discourage people from coming to the community.

“We, therefore, plead with Gov. Chibuike Amaechi to kindly come to our aid by awarding contract to rebuild the road.

“Apart from serving the market, the road is also an important gateway to Ogbogoro and the Ozuoba communities and connects University of Port Harcourt with the teaching hospital.

“I am afraid, the road may just become impassable if nothing urgent is done to rehabilitate it before the peak of the rainy season from June to July.

“Then, we may be having only few customers coming to the market because not many people can afford to take the risk of plying the bad road,” the chairman said.