The Chairman of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area (PHALGA), Hon. Allwell Ihunda, has pledged to rehabilitate the Garri Market along Churchill Road in Port Harcourt Township to improve trading conditions and provide a more conducive environment for traders and customers.
Ihunda pledged during an assessment visit to the market to evaluate its condition and identify areas requiring urgent intervention by the council.
Addressing traders after a guided tour of the facility, the chairman expressed concern over the deplorable state of the market and assured them that the council would put the necessary arrangements in place for its rehabilitation and comprehensive facelift.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive, noting that the proposed intervention would be carefully planned to make the market safer, more functional and suitable for commercial activities.
Responding to the traders’ request for a phased reconstruction, Ihunda assured them that their concerns would be considered during the project’s design stage.
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Welcoming the chairman, the Councillor representing Ward 7 in the PHALGA 10th Legislative Assembly, Hon. Christian Iminabo, described the visit as a “day of restoration of hope” for traders and residents.
Iminabo commended Ihunda for the proposed redesign of the market and assured the traders that their request for phased construction would be communicated to the chairman during the planning process.
He, however, warned that relocating traders during the reconstruction could affect the market’s established customer base.
“If we allow them to go, we’ll lose customers that are already here because they’ll get used to other areas, shops, markets and others,” he said.
Earlier, the traders had appealed to the chairman to adopt a phased reconstruction approach rather than shut down the market completely during the project.
They expressed concern that relocating traders, suppliers and customers could disrupt established business relationships and make it difficult to regain patronage after the reconstruction.
The traders commended the chairman for listening to their concerns and expressed optimism that the proposed rehabilitation would improve the market’s infrastructure and trading conditions while preserving its existing commercial network.
