By Festus Ahon

Successive administrations in Delta State have tried without success to clear traders selling their wares along the ever busy Otovwodo Junction at the East-West Road in Ughelli.

For decades, especially at weekends, drivers spent hours trying to go through the logjam with traders, vehicles, tricycles, and ‘Okada’ locked in a struggle at the intersection.

But, on Monday, June 26, on his way back to Asaba, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and his entourage made a stopover at the popular Otovwodo Junction, Ughelli, where he ordered the relocation of a private motor park and traders along the road.

He lamented that their activities over the years had caused untold hardship to motorists, adding that the government had concluded plans to relocate the market permanently.

“We are planning something there but when you are planning you need to go and see the place and I saw a motor park at that junction and that’s not acceptable at all”, he had said at that time.

“Trading on the road is also not acceptable. You can see the risk involved in trading on the express road. Last week we met with His Majesty, the Ovie of Ughelli, the Council Chairman and the President General and we discussed all these and that market needs to be relocated from that place because it’s causing a lot of hardship to travellers.

“I have directed the Council Chairman to ensure that the motor park is relocated from that place and those trading on the road need to move. There is somewhere we have prepared for them and we have the issue of access road but I have also directed the Ministry of Works to come up with a proposal to enable us to have an access road to the new market.”

Oborevwori said it was also in the interest of the public who suffer untold hardship due to unnecessary gridlock caused by the actions of the traders that the market is relocated to a permanent market designated for them, adding that the state government would provide access road to the market to enable buyers and sellers have unfettered access.

Implementing the governor’s directive, Ughelli North Local Government Chairman, Hon. Godwin Adode, said the action was in the public interest as their activities posed dangers to lives.
The council boss, who was on ground to supervise the exercise, told journalists that the need to evacuate all those trading along the roadside and those who built temporary structures under the electricity transmission lines became imperative as it posed dangers to the lives of the people.

“Today, we are here to enforce the state government directives; we are pulling down all structures and caravans along the road for easy flow of movement”, he had said.

While warning the market women trading along the road and walkways in the council areas not to dare the authority of the state government, he said the task force will be ground to arrest any violator of the law.

Also speaking to newsmen, the Delta State Commandant of Vigilantes Group of Nigeria (VGN), Mr. Monday Ohwesiri, appealed to the market women and traders to bear with the state government in the pragmatic agenda to develop and bring the dividends of democracy to all Deltans.

Ohwesiri assured the state government of the readiness of the VGN Delta State chapter to collaborate with the state government developmental agenda and to make the state crime free.

Days after the area was cleared, some drivers and traders, who spoke to newsmen on the initiative, were full of praises for the action of the governor as it has paved way for free flow of traffic in the axis.

A transporter shuttling Ughelli/Asaba, Evans Daniel, said: “I want to commend the State Governor; the Governor is trying, the local government Chairman is trying.

“I thank the Governor very much for making the place a zoom zoom, there is no holdup anymore. I heard they want to put a flyover in this place, I think it will be better than what we are seeing now.

“We usually faced challenges. Sometimes, when the Keke drivers wanted to manoeuvre their way, they will scratch your vehicle. “Vehicles also consumed a lot of fuel being in holdup. Now, I’m just coming from Asaba, if not for the road that was cleared, I won’t be here, I will still be in the holdup. We really thank him for making the place ok.”

Another public transporter, Prince Paul, added: “I want to thank the governor for doing this, it’s not easy. “For the first time, what we are experiencing here is something I can’t even imagine.

“Imagine you come out and meet holdup, nothing is causing it other than people shading on the road, but now that they have cleared them everywhere is free, I only wish he can do more. Even when I was coming from Asaba, I saw what he is doing, he is doing well. It is a good one for the governor.”

Also speaking, a female trader described Oborevwori as the best governor the state has ever had in deciding to decongest the road.

She said: “This is the best governor I have ever seen, even though I have never met him. “Before now, to cross the road was something else. So the governor has done well.”

Mrs. Oshasha Helen, a tomato seller, said, “There is nobody that does not like good things. They did very well. As for me, it affected my business because I was shading at the centre of the large demarcation, but what they did is good.

“As for me, if they want to take me abroad, I will go, but this is our abroad. So, as they are making it beautiful, it is good However, I want the governor to help us and give us a market because we are just managing.”

For Uche, who is General Manager of God’s Own Hotel, Ughelli, which is close to the market, he said, “the hotel has been facing serious challenges about this congestion at the market. The holdup has affected even our hotel because people will always complain about accessing the hotel.

“Even some oil workers in our place had to leave because they could no longer meet up to go to work because of the holdup but since they cleared the market, they have started coming back and they are very happy they can now move freely, you can move as early as possible to your work and there will be no traffic. We are very happy that the government has done this. It has really improved our business, and so I’m very grateful to the Delta state government”.

Mrs Ekama, a trader at the market, lauded Oborevwori for having the courage to clear the roadside sellers.

“We are happy that the road has been cleared because if drivers bring goods for us, they now see where to park, which was not so before now. Standing across, customers can now see my shop compared to when the umbrellas and everything were there”, she said.

“It’s okay now just that I feel for those driven away, they don’t have a shop of their own and it’s affecting them unlike us that have shops here but it’s better for us”.

An anonymous trader, on her part, was full of praises for Oborevwori, saying, “God used him to save us from accidents, he did this for our own good. He is good, he is very nice and we like it this way. I know God will help us, and may God bless him. “

Another trader, a garri and egg seller, Fejiro Kpokpogri, said, “We like what they did. There is nobody that doesn’t like good things.”

With the governor successfully clearing Otovwodo Junction in Ughelli, next should be Effurun Market along PTI Road, Jakpa Junction, and Igbudu Market on the Warri-Sapele Road.

•Ahon is Chief Press Secretary to Delta State Governor