‘Ban Bishop Okoye Street Trading’

Residents of Mile Three, Diobu, in the Port Harcourt City Local Government Area of Rivers State have called on the authorities to stop traders from selling along the Bishop Okoye street.

Investigations by our correspondent, who visited the street yesterday (Tuesday), reports that items like fish, vegetables and other edibles were openly displayed along the filthy street.

Emeka, who resides within the area told The Tide that he has since stopped buying things displayed on the street for fear of being infected by such items.

He called on the ministry of special duties to stop the trading in the area to forstall any outbreak of epidemic to the public.

A woman who sells fish and asked not to be named said she has no option in trading along the street because she could not afford to rent a stall inside the market.

She further explained that customers preferred buying along the road instead of going into the market as the whole place has been rendered impassable by the poor state of the market.

When asked about his opinion on the poor state of the market, an official of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Mr. Kennedy Chukwu said they were used to buying food items in the market even as he blamed the development on the Port Harcourt City local government council.

Efforts to speak with officials of Phalga on the issue proved abortive as none was ready to speak on the matter.