Abia Government Set To Implement Strict Measures Against Street Trading

The Abia State government has announced its intention to prohibit street trading, focusing on Aba, the bustling commercial hub, starting next year.

The Commissioner for Information and Culture, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed this during a press briefing on the deliberations of the recent Executive Council meeting, which Governor Alex Otti chaired.

Emphasizing that street trading had evolved into a significant problem, Kanu highlighted its detrimental effects on the recently developed road infrastructure.

Kanu said: “Despite spirited efforts by the government to tackle the menace, it is continuing unabated. The government will not fold its arms and watch the anomaly continue.

“With the efforts the government has made, this menace (street trading) keeps rearing its ugly head, particularly in Aba.

“Most of the new roads this government has built, people use them to display their goods. This will not augur well for these new roads.”

He reassured the public, affirming the government’s commitment to completing and utilizing one carriageway of the Ossah-Okpara Square road during the Yuletide season.

The Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Ikechukwu, explained that the objective of the Light Up Abia Initiative is to illuminate every street using solar lights.

“We started with Umuahia first, and now we have moved to Aba.”

Governor Otti affirmed his administration’s dedication to eradicating crime in order to maintain safety in Abia.

He made this statement yesterday during the inauguration of a one-day ‘Sensitisation Campaign Against Cultism and Drug Addiction in Nigeria,’ organized by the Abia State Orientation Agency (ABSOA) at the Michael Okpara Auditorium in Umuahia.

According to the governor, “No amount of alcohol, drug addiction or whatever it is that one has consumed will justify any action taken that is against the law.

“For us, we are single-minded about rooting out crime and criminality and ensuring that our state is safe for our citizens and visitors.”

Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, represented by DCP Sani Shuaibu, characterized the campaign against cultism and drug addiction as both timely and commendable. He noted that the youth have unfortunately become susceptible to cultism and drug addiction.

He further expressed the readiness of the police to collaborate with other sister agencies and the state government in a collective effort to combat the issues of cultism and drug addiction.