By Brave Dickson
There are growing concerns over the hash manner with which the taskforce set up by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State is enforcing the mandate given to it on illegal street trading and motor parks in the state capital and environs.
The concerns are sequel to outcries by most low-income traders and commercial drivers who may have lost their means of livelihood due to the total clampdown which the state taskforce has adopted in the course of the exercise.
One of the concerns raisers is the Deputy National Secretary of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Hon Ken Robinson who however commended the move by the Wike led-administration to return the state to its garden city status but expressed displeasure for doing so at the expense of citizens’ means of livelihood.
Hon. Robinson who advised the state taskforce not to neglect the well-being of the people in the face of clamping down on illegal street trading and motor parks, specifically appealed to the enforcement group to exonerate elderly parents trading around their houses.
He said: “I share the concerns that most people are also expressing. In our very laudable attempt to keep Port Harcourt clean and return it to the garden city status of Nigeria, we should not overlook the well-being and welfare of our people.
“Yes, we need to have orderliness and a structured city in terms of markets and motor parks and though illegal motor parks, markets etc are defacing the city but when it comes to our mothers and fathers who trade around their houses and those with low incomes, I think government should have some kind of consideration for them.”
During the inauguration of the taskforce by the governor in August 2019, he said: “the task force is a product of law, following my assent to the Rivers State Street Trading, Illegal Markets & Motor Parks (Prohibition) Bill No. 8 of 2019, and I vowed that the law must be enforced and violators brought to book to serve as a deterrent to others.
“All the operatives of this taskforce have been profiled by the DSS and the police, while those found wanting have been flushed out. The reason government sent the taskforce members to the DSS and the police for screening was for proper identification and to ensure that government did not take people who will put it in trouble.
“We all love this state and we must love it fully. Not in half measures. When we build roads, before you know what is happening, the roads are taken over by street traders and illegal motor parks. This taskforce now has the responsibility of cleaning up the streets and to ensure that nobody trades on roads.”
The taskforce is covering 13 zones in Port Harcourt City, Obio/Akpor and Eleme Local Government Areas of the state. While four teams are covering Port Harcourt City; eight teams are covering Obio/Akpor LGA; and one team is covering Eleme LGA of the state.
The teams covering the 13 zones include: Old Port Harcourt Township comprising of Lagos/Station/UTC Bus Stops; Flyover/Mile 1 Market; Mile 3 Market/Ikoku/Building Materials as well as Fruit Market and Garrison/Waterlines for Port Harcourt City.
Others are covering Slaughter/Woji/Oginigba; Rumuokoro Junction; Presidential Hotel/ Rumuola; Rumuokwuta/ Mgbuoba Market/Location Junction; Artillery/Rumukwurushi/ Eleme Interchange/Oil Mill Market; Eliozu Junction Flyover/East-West Road; Choba/UNIPORT/East-West Road; and Rumuolumeni/Rumuepirikom in Obio/Akpor LGA. While that of Eleme LGA is covering Akpajo/Onne and Eleme/Refinery Road respectively.
