Ikoku Spare Parts Market: Relocation Beckons?

A normal drive from the Olu-Obasanjo end of Ikwerre Road to the police station is less than three minutes, but commuters spend upwards of fifteen minutes and above for the same distance.

No thanks to the persistent traffic hold up experienced specifically through the length and breath of the popular (notorious) motor vehicle spare parts market almost on a daily basis.

More than five years ago, it was this same situation that prompted the Rivers State Government to relocate the building materials market at Mile Three to Iriebe in the Oyigbo local government area of the state.

However, before now, the state government concerned with the unconducive traffic situation at the motor spare parts market, embarked on the dualisation of the road which was hitherto a single carriage way.

Today, to the disappointment of the state authorities, and indeed the public, the traders, visitors, customers and commuters alike have taken undue advantage of the expanded road to park their vehicles with careless abandon to the disgust of other law-abiding road users in the area.

In fact some of the traders who were spoken to on the issue admitted that part of the problem emanated from the indiscriminate parking of vehicles by the traders themselves and that they would not be surprised if government decided to relocate the market to a more conducive area of the state.

For Mr. Paul Enemo, Managing Director of Indibest Int. Co. (Nig), who deals on Japanese motor car parts, the idea of relocation was not bad so long as government would make it worth their while.

“If the government decides to relocate us, they should provide a place, a befitting place for us and provide every necessary thing for us there. Access road, water, light and security. A new place ought to be better than this”.

He explained that government had the authority to do what it felt was good for the general wellbeing of the people, so long as their actions would not adversely affect the people.

“If they ask us to move, they should provide everything before asking us to move. They cannot move us just like that by relocating us to where it is not better than this place we are now selling our goods”.

But some of the traders whose shops are up front, toward the Olu Obasanjo Police Station where the hold-up appears to be less pronounced, relocating was not on their agenda.

For John Dike who deals on motor tyre rims and tyres his explanation was that traffic within his area of operation was normal, but if government wishe to relocate them, he would have no option than to co-operate, he admitted.

“For now, the government is trying. They are doing a good job. Everything is free at this side as you can see. Nothing like traffic congestion. We still need somewhere to relocate so that we can be comfortable”, he added.

Even at then, for some traders, the menace of the traffic situation means nothing to them and some even expressed the opinion that government was not doing enough to address  the situation.

A trader who pleaded anonymity said;  brother, leave government, they are not doing anything”, he stressed.

“In fact I don’t want to talk to you these journalists, government and you are the same”, he says.

While the presence of the motor spare parts market was being attributed to the ugly traffic situation in the area, some artisans distanced themselves from that idea, while blaming the security personnel deployed to effect traffic orderliness for the chaos. According to Victor Ndubuisi, who claimed to be a motor car injector specialist, the main cause of the traffic snarl in the area was the inability and refusal of the traffic wardens and the police to properly control traffic as, according to him, they were always busy collecting money from motorists.

“The traffic people are not doing their work well. The traffic wardens only like money. If you park, instead of them to direct you well, they collect money from you. So that is the reason for the hold up”, he added.

On how he would feel if the market was relocated, Ndubuisi retorted;

“I will not feel well, I will feel bad because this is where I find my daily bread. “We are comfortable here, we like here that we are”.

Interestingly, some commercial taxi and bus drivers expressed the same opinion as Ndubuisi as they said that the market was their main source of livelihood and that they prefer to manage the situation they found themselves rather than the idea of relocating the market.

According to a bus driver who plies Olu-Obasanjo route, the market over time had been a major source of of their livelihood, and that as  far as he was concerned, the traffic situaiton was secondary.  “been a major source of their liv elihood, and that as far as he was concerned, the traffic situation was secondary.

“Go and ask the conductor”, he replied, when questioned on the issue on ground. “I can’t talk, I am driving”, even as he was not moving the vehicle due to the hold up. Reminded that he was not moving; he retorted;

“I don’t like the hold up but I like the market, but let the government make a way for them (traders) to be parking their motor, but the market is good”, he concluded.

A police officer who seem to be incharge at the motor spare parts market area declined to speak on the issue when approached.

According to him, they were forbidden from speaking. When The Tide contacted the State Ministry of Environment, a source at the Ministry said matters of the environment concerning the motor spare parts market would be addressed soon. The source, however, referred The Tide to the Rivers State Road Traffic Management Authority, TIMA-RIV.

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of  TIMA-RIV, Nimi Isokrari, declined comments on the issue.