The efforts put in place by
the Rivers State Government to effectively  tackle urban distortion of the state capital, and its environs is today paying off well.
So far, trading at Bishop Okoye Stret that was recently commissioned by the state chief executive has stopped, including, that at Afikpo market amongst others.
However, one market that has continued to constitute itself as a cog in the wheel of the government’s drive to rid the streets of illegal trading and other unwholesome activities is the one at the railway area of the flyover park.
Some residents of Port Harcourt who spoke to The Tide over the attitude of the traders say their action is a clear affront on the authority of the Ministry of Urban Development and Physical Planning.
How can government give an order and a particular group decide to flout it, queried Kenneth Ukela, a Port Harcourt resident.
According to him, the traders whom he described as “umbrella market traders” were taking advantage of government’s magnanimity in giving them time to get alternative place for their business.
For Ngozi  Amadi, a housewife, the traders should obey before they complain.
She explained that the cloth and other materials they sell are not essential as those sold at Afikpo and Bishop Okoye Streets.
“Those two markets at Bishop Okoye and AFikpo Streets sell food stuff that people buy everyday, yet they have obeyed.
“I wonder how many people buy cloths regularly these days when they have not been able to eat at least two times a day”, she said.