Business
PH Traders Want Evacuation Of Trailers
Traders at the popular Creek Road Market, in Port Harcourt have called on the Rivers State Government to relocate trailers which parked on the road, after off loading yams in the area.
A cross section of the traders who spoke to our correspondent at the weekend said the slow pace of work on the road could not be unconnected with the continuous parking of the vehicles on the road even after offloading their goods.
According to the traders, the development has not only impeded trading in the area but has also make the market a no-go area.
For Madam Sarah John-Bull who sells fresh fish in the market, the poor state of the road has forced commercial bus operators to avoid the road thereby depriving traders of customers.
She said moving their articles to the market has been a big problem among as the bus drivers try their best in cutting corners to enable them access the various zones of the market.
Apart from traders some cart pushers who spoke to our correspondent said the poor state of the road was also taking a toll on their operations.
For Monday Ufot, even with the availability of wares, moving them from one point to the other has posed a big challenge.
He said the parked trailers allow him little space to move his wheel barrow thereby making low returns on daily basis.
He as well supported the relocation of the trailers to the outskirts of Port Harcourt in order to expedite action on the Creek Road.
However, some of the Hausa trailer drivers who spoke to our correspondent said they were in support of any move that would help decongest the area.
They said they have so far not seen any serious action for the construction of the road even as they prayed for such.
One of them who gave his name as Mallam Isa admitted the menace of the trailers around the Creek Road Market even as he said they too were worried.
A regular bus driver, Mr Eugene Onyema who had used the route before said the bad state of the Creek Road Market has made drivers cut corners over the years.
He also appealed to the appropriate government agencies to take action save them and the traders of the challenges posed by the ugly development.
However, a visit to the state Ministry of Works by our correspondent to speak with the Hon. Commissioner was not fruitful before going to press but a source said the Creek Road Market was on the programme of the government.
L-R: President Macky Sall Of Senegal; President Goodluck Jonathan; Minister Of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-iweala; Nigeria’s Ambassador To Senegal, Mrs Katyen Catherine Jackden And The Special Adviser To The President On Nepad, Mrs Fidelia Njeze, During Arrival Of President Jonathan For The Dakar Financing Summit For Africa’s Infrastructure Development In Senegal last Saturday.
Cornerstone of Financial Services
A survey of more than 1 000 global finance leaders undertaken by digital payment network Ripple shows that 72% of respondents believe they need to offer a digital asset solution to remain competitive.
According to Ripple, leaders from the banking, fintech, corporate and asset management sector have made it clear that the “digital asset revolution is happening now”.
“Digital assets are quickly becoming a cornerstone of financial services, underpinned by progressive regulation, growing interest from Tier-1 banks, a steady consumer shift from banks to fintech providers, and booming stablecoin adoption,” Ripple says.
The survey was conducted in early 2026 and the findings released in March.
Stablecoin Boon or Bane?
Ripple has experienced significant success in the stablecoin sector since launching its Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin in 2024.
With a market cap of $1.56 billion, it is considered a major regulated player in the market.
No doubt the platform was pleased to learn through its own survey that financial leaders were most bullish about stablecoins.
Roughly three-quarters of respondents believed they could boost cash-flow efficiency and unlock trapped working capital.
Ripple noted that finance leaders were thinking about stablecoins as more than “just a new way to execute payments”; instead, they viewed them as effective tools for treasury management.
In March 2026, Ripple began testing a new trade finance model built around RLUSD in a bid to increase the speed of cross-border payments.
The pilot initiative, developed alongside supply chain finance company Unloq [https://unloq.com], is running on the XRP Ledger inside a testing framework developed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
The Asian city-state is one of the platform’s biggest growth markets.
The idea behind the project is to see whether stablecoin-based settlement can streamline trade finance, too often hampered by reliance on intermediaries and slow reconciliation.
The only potential drawback is that if the initiative takes off, the Ripple to USD price could be negatively affected.
Ripple has always championed its native XRP token as a bridge asset, the “middleman” in the process of a financial institution turning dollars in the US into pounds in the UK, for example.
Ripple converts dollars into XRP and then back into pounds.
If RLUSD can do exactly the same thing, questions will be asked about XRP’s relevance.
That is a bridge Ripple will have to cross if it gets to that point.
Tokenisation Partners
Another interesting finding from Ripple’s survey is that most banks and asset managers are seeking tokenisation partners to help execute their strategies.
Some 89% of respondents said digital asset storage and custody were top priority. “Token servicing/lifecycle management also ranks highly for banks at 82%, while asset managers place greater emphasis on primary distribution at 80%,” Ripple found.
The survey also revealed that just more than half of fintechs and financial institutions want an infrastructure provider that can offer a “one-stop-shop solution”. This rose to 71% among corporate financial leaders.
Ripple attributes this to institutions and firms wanting uncomplicated, cohesive systems.
Infrastructure Rules
In its final analysis, Ripple says companies across the board are looking for partners and solutions that are “secure, compliant, battle-tested and that enable growth and execution”.
“The message is clear: infrastructure decisions made today will shape competitive positioning tomorrow.”
No surprise that this is precisely where Ripple is placing much of its focus.