By Nwamulu Namma in Abuja
Traders at Section C of the Abuja International Building Material Market, popularly known as Scrap Market, Dei, have appealed to the FCT Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike, to urgently intervene and restore toilet facilities in the market.
The Chairman of the Market Association, Chief Kenneth Okoye, made the appeal during a press conference in his office on Tuesday. He said the situation has become critical following the demolition of the only existing toilet in the section.
According to Okoye, the toilet was demolished by a trader who is currently constructing six shops on the same spot. The development, he said, has left thousands of traders and daily customers without access to sanitary facilities.
The chairman warned that the absence of toilets poses a serious public health risk. “If nothing is done, the lack of toilet facilities will lead to infections such as cholera. This is very dangerous for both traders and customers,” he stated.
He noted that the market records a high daily influx of buyers and sellers from across the FCT and neighboring states, making basic sanitation non-negotiable. “A big market of this magnitude in the nation’s capital should not operate without toilets,” he said.
Okoye commended Minister Wike for his visible projects across the FCT but urged him to extend the same tempo of development to market infrastructure, starting with the restoration of toilets at Dei Dei.
The chairman pledged the traders’ support for the present administration, adding that the Minister’s performance is evident to all. “It is only those without eyes who will not see that the Minister is delivering,” he said.
He concluded by appealing to the FCT Administration to act swiftly to prevent a health outbreak and to maintain the dignity of traders and customers who depend on the market daily.
