Wuse Market Traders Protest ‘Illegal’ Shops Construction

Traders in the popular Wuse Market in Abuja have urged the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) minister, Nyesom Wike, to halt the building of additional shops in the facility’s car park.

The traders who made the call in an interview with newsmen on the sidelines of a peaceful protest yesterday, called for the dissolution of the market union leadership for alleged poor representation.

One of the traders, Mr Prosper Chinedu, told journalists that the construction does not align with the original plan.

He also said the walls being built limited customers’ access to shops, adding that building more shops close to existing ones posed threats, as some access walkways and car parks would be blocked.

“We are saying no to that. If there is a fire outbreak in this market, the Nigerian Fire Service (NFC) will never have access to fight the fire.

“We have to stop it now, we are angry with the executives of this market, we want them to step down and a new election held immediately,” he said.

Another trader, Chief Samson Eze, said they have been enduring poor representation for too long.
He alleged that the traders were not consulted on major market decisions, such as increased service charges and especially the ongoing building of new shops.

Eze explained that the traders’ grievance was that, with the current development, customers would have no space to park their cars.