…says exercise insensitive 

By Chinedu Adonu

The 2023 governorship candidate of African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Enugu State, Pastor Donatus Obi-Ozoemena, has bemoaned the demolition of building materials market at Kenyatta street, in the State, describing the exercise as insensitive.

Pastor Ozoemena, who condemned the action in a press statement made available to pressmen and entitled, “Kenyatta Market Demolition: What Manner of Government?” also described it as enormous economic waste occasioned by the exercise.

He stated tha the state government’s action was ill-advised, ill-timed and rash owing to the current harsh economic realities in the state and Nigeria in general.

He however, demanded for the rationale behind such exercise at a time that, other governments were busy mapping out palliatives and other support programmes for traders and artisans in order to keep their businesses afloat while, in turn, shoring up their state’s economy.

Recall that the Chairman of Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority, ECTDA, Dr Josef Onoh, had said that the exercise was carried out because activities of the affected traders were, “hurting the economy of the state”.

Hear him, “When I saw pictures, audios as well as reasons adduced by the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA) for crushing people’s hard-earned shops and livelihood at Kenyatta Market in Uwani Enugu, I screamed ‘What manner of Government?

“My heart was broken because of the poor judgment of the current State Government and her usual abysmal handling of critical issues especially at this time of biting hardship and insecurity across the State and country.

“How could a government preoccupy itself with such ill-idea of killing businesses, throwing more families into acute poverty, hunger and hopelessness at a time that other governments are having sleeplessness nights  trying to support businesses so as to pull as many of their citizens as possible off poverty, hunger and criminalities?

“Is it not obvious that Enugu is in dire need of a deliverer to usher in a new status quo; a leader that would create more opportunities and incentives to do business in the State rather than killing existing ones?

“For us, the excuses given by the ECTDA justifying government’s action are lame, unfortunate and condemnable. Such cannot occur under ADC government,” pastor Ozoemena stated.