By Stanley Onyekwere
In order to avert outbreak of epidemic due to purported alarming poor security and sanitation at the popular Utako Market and its environs, the Federal Capital Territory Administration ( FCTA) yestetday to shut it down.
It was gathered that Utako Market which is considered to be one of the largest markets located in Utako district, within the Abuja’s City centre, is being directly managed by the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).
Coordinator of the FCT Joint Taskforce on City Sanitation, Mukhtar Galadima, who made this known, described the deteriorated sanitation situation in Utako Market as very disturbing, which calls for immediate drastic measures to mitigate.
Galadima, who doubles as the Director, FCT Department of Development Control, during a clean up exercise at the market, noted that the market has become a “ time bomb and disaster waiting to happen”.
He added that there was an urgent need to clean up the market and ensure that looming disaster and epidemic were averted.
He expressed displeasure that such a market located within the heart of the city could be allowed by its managers to degenerate to a place where both human and environmental safety is compromised.
While disclosing that an urgent meeting would be convened with all stakeholders in the market, he insisted that tough proactive measures must be taken.
He however, noted that more worrisome was the fact that the market managers have illegally allowed the market to overflow into the major streets around Utako residential areas.
According to him, the taskforce would not allow the traders occupy the streets again, because they had started vandalising and defacing the road infrastructure.
Also speaking, the Secretary of FCTA’s Command and Control, Dr. Peter Olumuji, said apart from the nuisances in the area, residents around the neighbourhood, have also complained of security threats surging from the market.
Olumuji equally disclosed that the market has been overtaken by idle youths and some suspected hard drug addicts.
While he said that no suspect was arrested, he noted that the National Drug Laws Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has been briefed to pay close attention to the market area, with the aim of curbing alleged illicit drug peddling activities.
