THE DOWNTRODDEN MARKET THAT FEEDS THE POOR & ELITE OF NIGER DELTA PEOPLE OF NIGERIA

African Vogue

As you climb the Mbiama Bridge heading towards Warri in the heart of the Delta; a common boundary between Rivers State and Bayelsa State in south-South part of Nigeria lays the renowned Mbiama Market.

 The market is on the forgotten section of the east west road that even the rush work fever during Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s reign could not affect despite being less than four kilometres meters from the Former Presidents State and it is also the section the President must pass through by road if he is going to his home town from the Port Harcourt airport.

The most obvious sign of the Market before getting to the market if you are new to this part of the world is the long queues of cars moving at a snail pace from  two directions every market day . Either coming from Warri or Port Harcourt,  the traffic from Warri usually starts fifty meters before the famous Yenagoa junction (Militants demonstration ground) which is also about hundred meters before the market, while that of Port Harcourt starts  about 300 meters before the Mbiama bridge which is about thirty meters before the market.

 My primary concern is not about the uncompleted bridge or road (Please SETRACO complete the road) but about the plight of the industrious Niger Delta women, men and others from other regions engaging in different economic activity in the market.

 As you approach the market, the sight of mud earth mixed with water forming a brownish milk catches your attention, the sanitary condition of the market is so nauseating that it can churn the stomach of those not used to such an unclean sight not to talk of a market where edible foods are traded. As you lift your gaze from the sanitary horror, you will see rickety tables lined less than two meters from the rough patch road already abandoned by SETRACO Construction Company. Some goods are displayed on the tables while some, like plantain, coco yam, Banana and sweet potatoes (Primary produce from the region) are displayed on the ground for interested customers.

 What is most fascinating is the enthusiasm of the traders and some small scale farmers selling their produce themselves. They seem oblivious of the untidiness, the neglect by their leaders and the sudden death that may happen if a car or trailer fails break while trudging down the slope from the Mbiama Bridge.

 The poor and Rich patronizes the market, the rich compromising of politicians and government contractors are not disturbed by the appalling  state of the road side market. Though the main market is sighted about fifty meters away from the road on the left side when coming from Port Harcourt; about thirty meters after  the bridge. The rickety market of wood stalls is unkempt, lacks drainage system, sanitary disposal system and concrete flooring. In an area where it rains all the time it becomes almost impossible for these traders to remain in the market to sell their goods because customers’ even finds it difficult to access the market under such appalling conditions.

There is an expanse of land on both side of the market where the local government or jointly with states government can acquire and build good market for these traders. The Mbiama market is on Rivers States’ land but indigenes of Bayelsa State, Delta State etc. also sell their food stuffs and manufactured goods in the market.

 To end the increasing Traffic problems and assist these hardworking south-south indigenes the government of these states can unite to transform the pitiable condition of the Mbiama market to the pride of South-south by building a market befitting of the people it feeds and the people that make their livelihood from the market.

 To assist these hardworking citizens of the south-south and in other not to empower the wrong people, the government can take down names of the traders, build stores and allocate stores directly to the traders instead of selling them to the highest bidder.  The reverse will be the case if the petty traders are left out from the allocation because the petty traders makes up the bulk of the traders, and they will find themselves back on the road because they could not afford stores.

 A single government official can embezzle ten times of what it will take to uplift the lives of these hardworking people. We have become too hard hearted to care about what our brothers and sisters are going through. We beg them for our votes and abandoned them when the deed is done.

 The high and mighty of the Niger Delta must unite to restore our pride by restoring Mbiama market, the place where all visitors to Niger Delta and those passing sees. What the state of the Market is now reflects the values we hold dear as a people and it is a shameful value to display before the world.

 The Downtrodden Market that feeds the poor and Elite of Niger Delta must be given a face lift in other to restore the hopes of the industrious Niger Deltas that trade in the market and re-establish our great values the battered image the market has painted of us.

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