Abuja market may reopen soon
The Garki Main Market shut by the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) on June 17 for poor sanitation, may be reopened soon.
Mr. Innocent Amaechina, the Corporate Affairs Manager of Abuja Market management Ltd (AMML), gave the indication on Friday in Abuja in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He commended the market traders for their cooperation and positive response to the development so far.
Amaechina said the market would not have been shut, if they had earlier demonstrated such cooperation.
He said the market would be reopened by the AEPB as soon as all pending issues were resolved, adding that it was not yet safe for trading activities.
The manager said the traders had been paying their service levies for the upkeep and maintenance of the market.
``Their responses have been so encouraging and wonderful. The traders now appreciate what we are doing in other markets in the territory.
``The traders said they were now ready to cooperate with us for the effective management of the market,'' he added.
Amaechina said the traders now wanted the management to hasten up its sanitation exercise, so as to reopen the market without further delay.
He accused the Market Traders Association of being the clog in the wheel of development in the market.
The manager alleged that the association prevented the traders from paying the levies, contending that there was still a litigation on the management of the market, which was eventually struck out.
``The NEPA bill debt in the market was N16 million before we took over, but it is now above N21million,’’ he added.