FCTA warns against trading on road shoulders, corridors
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has warned marketers across the city against trading on road shoulders and corridors or have their items confiscated.
Mr Ihkaro Attah, Chairman of the FCTA Ministerial Taskforce on Traffic Management, gave the warning while inspecting Nyanya Market, its road shoulders and corridors on Wednesday in Abuja.
Attah threatened that the traffic management team would confiscate items and properties of violators and ensure that the defaulters are prosecuted in the court.
He said that traffic management team would ask the court to grant permanent forfeiture of whatever items or properties confiscated.
“And, if we are able to get the court injunction from the judge, then we will likely distribute the items be it cloths or food items to orphanages and centre for persons living with disabilities.
“The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) is warning traders across the city to desist from selling on road shoulders, road corridors and road side,” he said.
According to him, that is one worrisome thing that the team has observed.
“And, as the Chairman of the FCT Ministerial Taskforce on Traffic Management, I know that the FCT Minister Malam Muhammad Bello is not taken the issue of trading on road shoulders and corridors very lightly.
“Worrisome is the fact that in some areas like Nyanya, Karu site, Dutse Alhaji Area, Kubwa by the NNPC junction and some other very busy road sides, people have converted the road side and shoulders into the market.
“It is completely unacceptable and is being heavily resisted because it is grossly inappropriate in Abuja,” Attah said.
He said that the taskforce had throughout the night cleared the Nyanya market and deployed personnel in the morning to prevent traders from selling on road shoulders.
“If you look at Nyanya today, being the market day is completely clean, the road is clear and we are going to be enforcing that.
“We really have to make strong appeal to the royal fathers to support us because all of the people in the market have cultural inclination.
“The one at Karu and that Dutse Alhaji have cultural inclination and each of the market are under the supervision of a traditional ruler appointed by the palace.
“Particularly at Nyanya we are very worry that even the palace of the Chief of Nyanya every Wednesday is converted to market to the point that they even sell at the entrance of the palace,” he said.
Attah said the traffic management team would adopt drastic measures to stop trading on road shoulders, noting that market had its own environment and people would not be allowed to sell on the road.
