Government Special Announcement

Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, has approved the commencement of phased redevelopment of Ariaria International Market, Aba, from Sunday, 5th September, 2021.

Recall that the administration has made several efforts to reconstruct the 47-year old market in order to tackle its age-long structural issues with many of the shops as well as provide the necessary modern infrastructure to deal with the perennial flooding challenges particularly with A-Line while delivering other amenities like befitting car parks, conveniences, beautification of the surroundings, improved fire fighting capacity and such other facilities to our traders.

A cabal in the market that had been profiting from its current state had sought to place unnecessary legal and other obstacles on the path of government’s efforts and had hampered previous attempts at commencing works in the market in April 2021, but in the interest of overwhelming public good, we are compelled to go ahead with redevelopment efforts in one of the foremost markets in the country.

In recent days, different social media platforms have been inundated with uncomplimentary videos of flooded A-Line that obviously also endangers traders and shoppers alike while bringing the government into public odium. No responsible government will, in the face of such images making the rounds on social media, sit back and watch without taking appropriate actions to deliver the much needed solution as quickly as possible.

Consequently, after a final consultative meeting with stakeholders of Ariaria International Market on Tuesday, 24th August, 2021, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has approved the phased redevelopment of the market as follows:

1. Traders currently doing business along A-Line, C-Line and Medical Line are to relocate from their shops on or before close of business on Saturday, 4th September, 2021 to enable the commencement of work the following day, Sunday, 5th September, 2021.

2. Those affected are to temporarily relocate to Ekumi Shopping plaza or other available shops within the market.

3. The developers have committed to completing the required work in the phase which includes establishment of proper drainage channels within the affected lines, construction of new shops and parks, before the first week of December 2021.

4. Abia state government will through subsequent press releases publish the names of existing shop allottees who are guaranteed of their return to the reconstructed shops after completion of the first phase. It is important to state that no existing shop allottee will lose his/her shop after the work.

5. Governor Okezie Ikpeazu is expected to personally hand back new allocation papers to all the existing allottees on Friday, 5th December, 2021.

6. Trading activities are expected to continue in other lines that are not affected by the first phase of the redevelopment project while the appointed developers, Messrs Blessed Henkel International Company, are expected to work with the market committee and security agents to ensure full security within the market during the period of redevelopment.

Government wishes to assure traders that it will work to ensure minimal disruptions to trading activities while executing this project which has now been made more urgent and crucial because of the recent flooding forecast from the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, NiMet.

We will also not in any way tolerate any attempt by any individual or group to disrupt the planned work as we have consulted widely enough and given enough grace period, long before now, for alternative solutions which never yielded any meaningful result.

Finally, we solicit the understanding and support of all Abians as we restate our commitment to delivering a modern market to our people.

Thank you.

Chief John Okiyi Kalu
Honorable Commissioner for Information, Abia State
28/08/2021

I hate gov’ts that give excuses for their visionlessness or disinterest in governance by saying ‘cabals prevented us from doing our jobs’! What useless ‘cabal’?

Less than two years left for his administration to go and it’s only now he remembered that Ariaria market is a eyesore and embarrassment, not just to Abians, but the entire Ndigbo! He’s only decided to finally do something due to the backlash received recently after those disgraceful pictures of the market were shown on social media!

The power of social media is real,but apc government will only see the negative part..


Abia government was called out via the Internet and they are now left with no choice than to commence work ASAP.

Ariaria market really exposed the incompetence of the state government.

The first poster above me (PROUDLYIGBO) nawao! The government keep silence you complain, the government commence action to remedy a situation, you also complain. As much as there's a lot to do in Abia State, the media have really not been fair to Okezie Ipkeazu. Abia State have been a ruin before Ipkeazu. The governor of a truth is making efforts especially in drainage. Anyone that can be sincere, know that semeck road from mcc to faulks road was impassable but the governor reconstructed with drainage system. I must also let everyone here know that faulks road was not constructed in a haste, Setraco took time to construct that road with covered drainage system. How that road damaged so fast is a big surprise to me. Sincerely speaking that road was thoroughly reconstructed. I sense that the cause of the fast damage of that road is because of the dirty nature of dwellers of ABA people, filling drainages with rubbish and later blame the government. Mind you, I am not holding brief for the governor, I am not a sycophant and can never be. I say things the way I see them. Ikpeazu have failed in the area of salary payment no doubt, but he surely have given ABA attention in terms of road and gutter construction but ndi ABA are too dirty to a fault.

For those that don't know, the governor started with Ahia ohuru remodelling for some months now. There has been a reconstruction of Ngwa road ahia ohuru market and now, he has extended it to ariaria main market. I like the way they are on his neck to do more work in Aba. During tief a orji, no body dare utter a word unless you want to end...

Behind every problem in Nigeria, there is a cabal benefitting in broad daylight. They succeed because of tribalism and religious sentiments. That's why Russia and china hate religion

They want to steal people's shop thru the back door, they will come telling you how they want to expand the road , but some shops will have to be demolised . They will demolish the shop, add few inches to the existing road, then build shops on the same land which they took from people and tell you this is government land example is faulks road from freezone gate to A line gate . They took away people's shop citing road expansion only to build on same land they took from poor , some only have that as their retirement benefits .they tagged each shop 3, million and some 5 million . The are currently taxing 23,500 each shop in ariaria without issuing receipts while the market is floating on water , by Tuesday I will snap the eyesore called international market , believe me people are suffering in aba yet the government is preaching peace

This is beautiful

Long overdue.
Just hope those stubborn traders will permit because most of them prefer that piggery than truncating their business.

Its a good development
These are just designs, implementation ni koko

Pigs

This is what develops igboland ...let's keep exposing our worst parts ...let them keep hiding theirs

Nice


@SENIORWRITER

Make we dey wait dey watch na

Chinndumm:
Projects are really going on

Projects like sharing kerosene.

mrvitalis:
This is what develops igboland ...let's keep exposing our worst parts ...let them keep hiding theirs

Why don't you stay in Igboland?
You fools run to other places to enjoy but elect idiots to rule Igboland. No wonder Anambra and Enugu have handed you over to fulanis for grazing.

funkekemi:
They want to steal people's shop thru the back door, they will come telling you how they want to expand the road , but some shops will have to be demolised . They will demolish the shop, add few inches to the existing road, then build shops on the same land which they took from people and tell you this is government land example is faulks road from freezone gate to A line gate . They took away people's shop citing road expansion only to build on same land they took from poor , some only have that as their retirement benefits .they tagged each shop 3, million and some 5 million . The are currently taxing 23,500 each shop in ariaria without issuing receipts while the market is floating on water , by Tuesday I will snap the eyesore called international market , believe me people are suffering in aba yet the government is preaching peace

Granted that Ikpeazu is the most useless Governor in Sub Saharan Africa, why doesn't AMATA or whatever it is called solve the drainage issue in the market?
Those traders are very dirty and irresponsible people, what does it cost them to fix their surroundings? Ordinary refuse, they can't manage.
Same nonsense they do at Ladipo and government has to force them to do the right thing.

See Design
Nigeria Amaka

I wonder what sanwoolu is doing on the new ICT( computer village) market in Katangowa. Na xoxo noise we dey hear

Eriokanmi:
I wonder what sanwoolu is doing on the new ICT( computer village) market in Katangowa. Na xoxo noise we dey hear

You see that one, there are a lot of interests stopping it.

Great gestures

Set to?

The only clueless government in southeast

Though, Enugu is trying so hard to compete with Abia.

Trumann:


You see that one, there are a lot of interests stopping it.

Ambode no dey fear pesin. He was the one who flagged off construction in that place, after fashola located the site. He'd have completed it by now, had he not been removed. Na cry people for cry taya. Sanwoolu no get liver at all

Which administration go finish am

For sure not this1

Please do.
Don’t be like Imo state where everything must be in state capital. Don’t relocate Ariaria to Abia state capital, the way Imo people would do.

Ikpeazu is the most underated and lowkey governor in Nigeria. Go and google Enyimba economic city he started. It isn't publicized like other governors do theirs. He is docile and slow yes, but he delivers.

funkekemi:
They want to steal people's shop thru the back door, they will come telling you how they want to expand the road , but some shops will have to be demolised . They will demolish the shop, add few inches to the existing road, then build shops on the same land which they took from people and tell you this is government land example is faulks road from freezone gate to A line gate . They took away people's shop citing road expansion only to build on same land they took from poor , some only have that as their retirement benefits .they tagged each shop 3, million and some 5 million . The are currently taxing 23,500 each shop in ariaria without issuing receipts while the market is floating on water , by Tuesday I will snap the eyesore called international market , believe me people are suffering in aba yet the government is preaching peace

Stop saying trash. Ngwa road market A.K.A Abia Ohuru has been under rehabilitation since months now. The names of the shop owners has been published and the govt asked those whose names were absent to come publicly to complain. Ikpeazu has been working relentlesly but the media undermines his effort. Ikpeazu does not promise and fail....not yet sha. So abeg if you haven't been to Aba since 2019 you have no say in this matter

Trumann:


Granted that Ikpeazu is the most useless Governor in Sub Saharan Africa, why doesn't AMATA or whatever it is called solve the drainage issue in the market?
Those traders are very dirty and irresponsible people, what does it cost them to fix their surroundings? Ordinary refuse, they can't manage.
Same nonsense they do at Ladipo and government has to force them to do the right thing.

Thank you. Everytime we blame govt. but we are pretty sure that it isn't govt dumping trash in our drainages hereby clogging them. The plaza they are asked to moved to has been constructed since two years with all modern facilities by a certain bank (sterling or so) they refused to move there notwithstanding how dirty A line is. My fellow igbo traders there are at fault here