By
Boluwatife Adedokun
Abia state Labour Party has accused the People’s Democratic Party-led Administration in Abia as incompetent as it fails to protect the goose that lays the golden eggs in the Ariaria International Market of Abia.
This was made known on Tuesday by the party’s Deputy Governorship candidate in the 2023 election, Ikechukwu Emetu at the Ariaria International Market, during his inspection of the damages caused by the Aba flood, sympathizing with the traders that lost goods of about billions of naira in the torrential rain that over-flooded the A-line section of the market.
While speaking to the victims, Emetu explained that the incident is painful seeing the mess around the marketplace.
He said, “Abia is God’s Own State, but I see nothing godly about this place. We are tired of being overtaken by other states. Go to Ebonyi State and see what international markets in other states look like. Is our God different from that of Ebonyi State?
“These people are criminals. You pay your taxes and levies and don’t see what you pay for. It is a mess that Ariaria is like this. What is the essence of your paying? It is painful that the destruction of goods happened, but it is a collective problem.
“A good government should make sure that those who pay taxes should be happy. It is funny to state that those affected should not pay taxes, but for how many years?”
He also said “Ariaria International Market is too rich to take care of roads in Aba which are less than 6 kilometres round. Ariaria is an International Market, but I don’t see anything international about it. The market is in a mess but people are still collecting money from traders there. It is a shame.”
He warned the traders that after the rains, the dry season will come, stating “they may come to patch the A-Line road. After that, the rains will come again and destroy your goods more. Are you not tired?”
Emetu urged the traders not to forget about the current happening that is affecting their goods, explaining that“Ngwa road, Ariaria and other roads in Aba are in a mess”.
Speaking to the newsmen, Emetu said,
“Traders pay over N21,000.00 each every year in addition to other levies. It is disheartening that after payment, the government will subject them to an unhealthy environment.
“This is due to incompetence on the part of Abia State Government. Dr Alex Otti has the solution to these problems when he becomes the governor”.
The Labour Party candidate for Aba North and South, Emeka Nnamani said that the flood is as a result of lack of planning, stating that it is shocking.
He said “The opportunity to change their work is in their hands”, pleading with the people to make the right choice by voting for the Labour Party.
While narrating his experience, a trader, Anyaneu Augustine explained that the rain devastated about 8 pairs of shoes worth 6 million naira, adding that another trader is in the hospital after he lost about N1.6m worth of books on that Saturday.
He disclosed that the trader was paid by a customer for goods and it was packaged for onward delivery before he heard the news that everything had been destroyed by the flood, stating that he fainted while hearing the news.
