Traders On Johnson street, Uyo
Owner of a popular hotel, Alice Benson Hotel in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state is on a collision course with market women of Akpan Andem market in Uyo following the invasion of the street leading to his hotel.
The owner of the long-standing hotel located along Johnson Street, Mr. Ifiok Akpan has accused the market women of incessant obstruction of his Hotel entrance with their wares.
According to him, the market women have abandoned the space created for them at the Akpan Andem market to spread their wares on the main road, thereby causing avoidable traffic and sabotaging his hospitality business.
In view of this ugly development, Akpan has cried out for an urgent government intervention, saying, “since this road was tarred and commissioned by Governor Umo Eno, the women left the main market and spread their goods to the point of blocking the entrance of my hotel”.
“I have reported severally to Akpan Andem Market Authority, yet nothing is done about it. After I made several attempts to stop the women from sitting in front of my hotel to sell their stuff, I discovered that the market women pay dues every month and year to them which is why they lack the willpower to remove the women from here”, he alleged adding, “sometimes, when I drive to enter the hotel or a customer drives in, the entrance of my hotel is blocked with their wares.
Akpan further stated that he had ceased their goods and asked them to evacuate their stuff from the hotel but the next day, they would come again and even in larger numbers.
“There is nothing I have not done to stop these women from leaving their market and coming here to sell. We have tried to cease their goods and that won’t still stop them. Sometimes, a customer will come but won’t see where to drive in. I am tired and frustrated as these people are killing and sabotaging my business”, he said.
Helpless and confused, Akpan appealed to the Akwa Ibom State Government through the relevant agencies to come to his rescue by evacuating the women from his business premises.
He said, “although I have written to the government to come and help me, I am still appealing to Governor Umo Eno, the Chairman of Uyo City Capital City Development Authority (UCCDA), Hon. Anietie Eka, and other related government agencies to come and help me as it is only them who can order these women to stop barricading the main road with their goods and causing a nuisance as they are also defacing the newly tarred and commissioned road”.
Even some residents of Johnson street have also called for an urgent government intervention on the street as activities of the market women often cause frequent traffic jam leading to noise making and unnecessary conflict in the area.
Reacting to the allegations raised by the hotel owner, the market women who spoke on grounds of anonymity said, “we pay dues every month to the market authority. We pay N150 every month and some people pay N1000 only for a year, that is why they do not disturb us from sitting here to sell.
“We can’t leave here because after paying them, we must sell to recover our money”.
On why they don’t take advantage of the adequate space inside the market and sell their stuff, the women said, ” inside the market we don’t have customers but when we are on main road, it is easy to get customers”.
However efforts to get the UCCDA Chairman to speak on the matter proved abortive as he didn’t pick calls placed on his line but an official who spoke off record said the government will look into the matter because selling on the road is against the law.
