Guardian Major Streets Cordoned Off, As Govt Enforces Ban On Street Trading, Parking, Others Saturday, 12 July 2014 20:52 Written by Isa Abdulsalami Ahovi, Jos Category: National THE commercial nerve centre of Jos, the Plateau State capital, was under siege Saturday as a combined team of soldiers of the Special Task Force (STF), the police, the State Security Service (SSS) and personnel of the Civil Defence Corps cordoned off major streets leading to the city. On May 20, twin bomb blasts occurred at Murtala Mohammed Way near the Terminus Market where over 100 people were killed while goods worth millions of naira were lost. Since that time, the state government has frowned at street trading arguing that casualty figures would not have been high had traders heeded government’s directives to relocate to the new Kabong Satellite market and Kwararafa market. The traders feel they have more patronage displaying their wares at the Terminus area, the heart of Jos, where they have almost occupied a lane of dual carriage road. To give teeth to its directives, government on Thursday, July 10, directed the security operatives to take control of roads leading to the market centre. As early as 6am yesterday, armed security operatives had already manned strategic positions, directing people and vehicles to follow alternative routes. This caused unprecedented traffic gridlock in the city. Asked when the siege would end, one of the soldiers told The Guardian it would continue until the traders complied with government’s order to relocate to the new markets. One of the traders said that they would continue to hang around until government is tired, adding that they would go back. “Government would soon get tired and we will go back to where we are being chased from,” he said. On Thursday, the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mrs. Olivia Dazyam, addressed a press conference where she enumerated safety measures taken by government including moving the traders out of the congested Terminus area. The Plateau state government has declared that the Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB) shopping complex along Murtala Mohammed Way is unsafe for business and as such would not be open for business. Dazyam said: “A task force has been inaugurated by the state Police Commissioner to enforce the ban on illegal trading, hawking, illegal motor parks, indiscriminate parking of vehicles and operation of commercial motorcycles in the Jos city centre. According to her, “The state government is concerned about the safety of its citizens. Security chiefs have been monitoring closely the situation in the state as there have been threats of security breach, thereby prompting the strengthening of the Task Force, which has become urgent and necessary.” She said, “I wish to stress here that all these measures are in no way punitive but aimed at ensuring public safety, sanity economic prosperity and the general well being of the all people. “In order for all stakeholders to appreciate the gravity of our security challenges, government and security chiefs met with leaders of traders’ associations and the National Union of Road Transport Workers recently. At the meeting, it was resolved that streets within the Jos city center should be cleared of illegal traders, hawkers, motor parks, and indiscriminate parking of vehicles be stopped to avoid a repeat of the collateral damage to life and property that accompanied the May 20 twin bomb blasts.” Dazyam added: “Shop owners along Ahmadu Bello Way, Terminus round about, down to Plateau Riders, Tafawa Balewa Way, ECWA Good News, Old Bukuru Park, Rwang Pam street and Gangare road are advised to find alternative areas. “I wish to inform occupants of the JMDB shopping complex that experts from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development have declared the facility unsafe. This is due to the impact of the 20 May blasts. “Those renting shops in the complex are advised to contact JMDB and the Ministry of Commerce for further directives as alternative shops are available at the Kwarafa and Kabong markets.”
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 16:48:45 +0000
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