Task Force On Illegal Markets

On Tuesday, August 11, 2020, the Rivers State Government, with immediate effect,
dissolved the State Task Force on Illegal Markets and Motor Parks, and the Special Assistant to the Governor, Mr. Bright Amaewhule, was relieved of his appointment.
The State government did not give reasons for the action, but through the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim, directed members of the task force to return the operational vehicles and Identity Cards of the body to the Office of the Secretary to the State Government.
The government also promised to reconstitute the task force after proper orientation and training must have been given to the would-be members.
It would be recalled that the Rivers State Government under the watch of Governor Nyesom Wike, had less than a year ago, constituted the taskforce as a way of ridding the streets and roads of Port Harcourt and its environs of illegal markets and motor parks.
It is quite on record that the task force, in the course of its operations, went beyond its mandate and recommended modus operandi, as there were several negative reports and complaints trailing its activities.
There were allegations of extortion; high handedness; and other sundry atrocities levelled against the task force men. Innocent citizens were also alleged to have fallen victim to the brutal assault of members of the task force. Some persons were alleged to have been rough handled with reckless abandon; brutalised and even maimed by members of the task force.
There were equally instances where they were accused of confiscating the goods of traders without any just cause.
The truth of the matter is that, at some point, the task force men became lords unto themselves, as they became uncontrollable, and with impunity, took laws into their hands.
Apparently fed up with the monstrous activities of the task force, the government had no choice than to wield the big stick, and this it did after Governor Wike had, on several occasions, personally intervened and advised the members to tread with caution, turn over a new leaf or face dissolution. Unfortunately, they did not heed the Governor’s good counsel.
Against this backdrop, therefore, The Tide is totally in support of the disbandment of the task force, and also aligns itself with government’s plan to reconstitute the task force after proper orientation and training must have been given to the members.
Indeed, it is a welcome development for government to moot the idea of reconstituting the task force. We say so because the chaos often seen on Port Harcourt roads and streets in particular on a daily basis as a result of illegal markets and motor parks, is better experienced than imagined. This has become so disturbing and alarming that every available space within the Port Harcourt metropolis and its environs has either become a market place or a motor park.
More worrisome is the fact that street trading and hawking along major roads have again become a common phenomenon. There is no gainsaying the fact that this state of affairs has seriously defaced the State capital and cast a slur on the urban renewal programme of the present administration.
Infact, the continued defacement of Port Harcourt by the activities of some unscrupulous elements is unacceptable, and no responsible government can afford to turn a blind eye to this nauseating reality without taking pragmatic steps to curb the menace.
However, before the new task force comes on stream, the State government should ensure that such a body is given a legal teeth. We say so because a legislation to provide a cushion and succour to citizens who may feel aggrieved by the activities of the task force is very imperative.
Indeed, such a legislation would go a long way to insulate both the members of the task force and the citizens from every manner of abuse and arbitrariness. And the bottom line is that there must be decency on our streets and roads at the end of the day. This explains why a new task force is sine qua non.
Most importantly, if the task force is not made a full-fledged agency, then, there is the need to integrate it into the State Ministry of Transport so that the members can become part of the mainstream civil service, wherein they can be guided by the extant laws and rules governing the civil service.
Again, the various public sector unions both in the markets and motor parks must be made to see the task force as a necessary evil saddled with the responsibility of bringing sanity on our streets and roads. Members of the unions must see the task force members as partners in progress rather than as enemies who are unleashed on the roads to torment, victimise and intimidate them or, better still, to foist a reign of terror on the populace.
Infact, the unions have a responsibility to ensure that their members obey the laws and orders that the government has put in place for the overall wellbeing of the society. The onus is on them to ensure that their members are not only law-abiding but also disciplined.
In all, sanitising the streets and roads in Port Harcourt and its environs is a task that requires all hands to be on deck.