The Electrical Materials
Dealers Association, Rivers State is soliciting for the support of the Rivers State Government and other willing bodies towards full development of the N600 million ultra modern Electrical Village at Iriebe in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state.
President of the association, Mr Everest Egbodo, who disclosed this to our correspondent in Port Harcourt on Wednesday said the project has achieved 40 per cent completion and that the body was in dire need of financial and other supports to actualize the project.
Comrade Egbodo described the projects as the best in Nigeria in terms of facilities and noted that when completed it would attract a lot of business from the West African sub-region to the state and also help decongest the present Okija Street where about 4,000 electrical dealers are operating.
He said the market which covers over 99 plots of land has all the state-of-the-art facilities needed in a modern market such as union secretariat, police post, fire service, crèche and bank, amongst others.
“We are shopping for partners from willing bodies in various areas and, if completed, the project would attract so much businesses to the state”.
He explained that the building materials market close to the village had been completed over 10 years ago because building materials do not need structure and the kind of capital-intensive facilities as the electrical village.
The association’s boss regretted that now the present electrical market, members pay high annual rents of between N300,000 to N800,000 per shop with all sorts of embarrassment including police harassment amongst so many other challenges.
He, however commended authorities of the Greater Port Harcourt Development Authority for approving the market site plan and stressed the commitment of the association towards ensuring that it meets the Rivers State Government’s plan of relocating the market to a more appropriate site.
Chris Oluoh
