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E-X-C-L-U-S-I-V-E: Are Ganmo market traders powerful than Kwara govt?
Ganmo is a community in the Ifelodun local government area of Kwara State. It is about 11kilometres from the centre-point of Ilorin, the state capital city.
It is an ancient town, with people coming together to settle from far and near due to numerous economic advantages as well as availability of regular power supply, being the major basic amenities for socio-economic convenience of the people.
The community is so important, serving as the major gateway linking Kwara to Kogi, Ekiti, Osun Ondo states as well as states in the Southeast. The community is on the popular Ilorin-Ajase Ipo federal highway.
Unfortunately, the popular Ganmo market which is located in the heart of the community has continued to pose serious threat to travelers, vehicular movements and residents, a situation which calls for urgent intervention by the state government. It also portrays Kwara as a dirty state being the entrance to the state of harmony.
The common tradition at Ganmo market is; situations where traders and commuters engage in tussle on who is entitle to the road, drivers or traders? Whenever there is heavy traffic jam, drivers would be on the hold-up for longer periods than expected, it always take the intervention of officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission, (FRSC) for normalcy to be restored.
Traders are seen right on the road displaying commodities such as yam, pepper, grains, fruits, provisions, food stuff and insecticides among others, thereby creating avoidable traffic jam. However, apart from the huge traffic congestion usually witnessed on every market days, (usually five days interval), there seems to be serious security threat to lives and property which may occur from motor accident.
Traders are prone to disasters because if any driver lost control of his/her vehicle to either brake failure or human error, especially truck, lorry and heavy equipment operators, this may cause serious catastrophe to the state.
When ROYAL NEWS crew visited the market which is currently on, there was ongoing road rehabilitation, expansion and drainage system channelization which has affected many structures including Ganmo Central Mosque.
Despite that, traders remain adamant and took to the road for their commercial activities which is very risky to the safety of their lives and commodities.
Furthermore, checks by our reporter revealed that previous administrations in the state have relocated the traders to a more convenient and befitting site within the area in the collective interest of all but no implementation was done.
However, with the ongoing construction and road rehabilitation, stakeholders are of high expectations that Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq will revisit the Ganmo Market relocation policy, enforce strict compliance/implementation and assist in averting unforeseen consequential repercussion (disasters) of non-compliance order by the Ganmo Market Traders.
Failure to do so may amounts to saying that “Ganmo market traders are powerful than the Kwara State government” which everybody have been saying!
Arowona Abdulazeez, a journalist, author and public affairs analyst writes via sardauna2@gmail.com
Contact: info@royalnews.com.ng
