PH Spare Parts Dealers Want Relocation

The Port Harcourt Motor Spare parts Union, Ikoku Branch has appealed to the Rivers State Government and the Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority to facilitate the relocation of the industry to the proposed permanent site.

The appeal was made by the President general of Port Harcourt Motor Spare parts Union (Ikoku), Maxwell Anuonye in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt during the week.

According to him, a Memorandum of  Understanding (MoU) was signed by the Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, on June 2, 2010, while on June 7, 2010 the Commissioner for Urban Development, Osina Gina, signed the MoU on behalf of the ministry, Maxwell Anuonye signed for the Port Harcourt Spare Parts Union and Oruboko signed for National Technicians Association (NARA) in relation to the relocation of Ikoku spare parts market to the government-proposed site at the Greater Port Harcourt City.

He said that the MoU was between the Rivers State Government and SPAT, that is, combination of spare parts dealers and Technicians, saying that the proposed permanent site will be called SPAT village.

He explained that after signing the MoU, they were referred to Greater Port Harcourt Authority, the body that will allocate the land before commencement, saying, “we expected that GPHA would have given us all the necessary documents required for this relocation before we commence, but uptill this moment nothing has been done, all we experience is come today, come tomorrow. The MOU is saying 18 months for us to relocate to the permanent site, which we do not know if the MoU has started being effective or not, and if it has then it means we are running out of time”, he lamented.

Anuonye appealed that the Rivers State Government should urge the GPHA to hasten up the processes of allocating the 25.11 hectares of land which represents government’s equity share, as the arrangement is on private public partnership, saying that if completed, it will enable government monitor its revenue generation and union also monitor its members.

He lamented that Ikoku is no more conducive and accommodating to them, because the number of touts that don’t have shops are increasing daily, encouraging dubious activities and the union can no longer manage the crowd and its attendant irregularities.

The new place will be more organised, walled with gate and will be regulated by a government agency, he said.