The Rivers State Commissioner for Urban planning and Development, Reason Onyia has stated that the recent demolition exercises to dislodge street traders by his ministry is not in anyway targeted at non-Indigenes as being insinuated in some quarters.
Reason Onya in a press briefing said the ministry has successfully dislodged street traders from the popular gadget village in the Garrison Area of Port Harcourt. He said the ministry equally chased traders from Mile 3, Creek road, waterlines and Sangana areas of the city.
“Like I have been telling them, that I will be there one day. Because I have pleaded with them, I have done all I could within my reach for them to be relocated peacefully.
“For the fact that they didn’t want me to sleep, when a child does not want his mother to sleep, the child will not also sleep. Today I felt I have to move them out, and I have moved them out.
“It’s to me mission accomplished. We’ve adopted different methodologies of ensuring that they have to leave peacefully, and they’ve taken it upon themselves that they own the place and have to stay there.
However, contrary to claims by the commissioner, some of the traders at the garget village told theportcitynews.com that the ministry did pre-inform them of the demolition exercise, saying that it is sheer wickedness on the part of the state government to demolish the make-shift shops leading to the destruction of properties worth millions of Naira.
Some of the traders said that in May, the ministry wrote them, demanding a payment of N2 million, which each shop owner at the village contributed N3,500 each to make up the payment. They also said that the chairman of the association, Friday Anosike was whisked away by security agents.
Reason Onya further said there will be a mobile court to try arrested street traders.
“If I could dislodge my Aunty, then somebody will come and tell me this project or exercise is targeted at non-indigenes? That person would like to keep that to himself.
“One thing in life is this: Do that, that you need to do, that you know that your conscience is free with. Summarily the exercise is not targeted at the non-indigenes.
“Please also let the non-indigenes know that they should stop leaving Aba in the morning, come to Port Harcourt deface the city and go back in the night. Come back in the night deface the city and go back in the morning.
“And to all non-Indigenes and Rivers citizens, I shall not stop and won’t stop chasing them out of the streets.
