By: Admin
Ikoku motor spare parts dealers in Diobu area of Port Harcourt have promised their commitment to the directives of the state government.
They have also promised to tackle cases of crimes and traffic congestion along the Ikoku-Olu-Obasanjo road.
Chairman of the Ikoku Motor Spare Parts Dealers Union, High Chief Anthony Alaribeole, gave the assurance while speaking to journalists in Port Harcourt, at the weekend.
He said that they were happy that the state governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has reopened the market.
He noted that the Ikoku Motor Spare Parts Market is a volatile place that has so many entry points, thus making it difficult to control movement and behaviour.
Chief Alaribeole explained that he tried his best to prevent the hijack of the recent EndSARS protest that led to the closure of the market.
He said that the union had a leadership problem for about 16 years without the executive before his emergence as the chairman, few months ago.
“The union had been without leadership for 16 years, and a lot of things have gone wrong. The market had been eaten up by hoodlums and we do not have any face-off with our host community.
“ As I came on board as the chairman few months ago, we have been working out modalities on how to tackle the challenges that have been facing us, including how to control the traffic.
“One of the challenges we are having in this regard is the uniform men, as they feel that nobody without uniform can control them on where and how to park. Sometimes, I confront them on their indiscriminate parking.
“We have set up a task force before the recent closure of the market to control the traffic. We have also set up a task force on sanitation, and another one to fish out criminal elements”, he said.
On the planned relocation of the spare parts market to Iriebe by the state government, the union boss welcomed the development, adding that one of his major agenda since he took over the leadership of the union was to liaise with the state government on the way forward.
He, however, urged residents of the state to hold him and his executive responsible for any wrongs that emanate from the market.
