Bishop Onah, Chief Asogwa (3rd from right), and other members of the committee
The Chairman of Nsukka Local Government Area in Enugu State, Chief Jude Asogwa, has lauded the 10-man Nsukka Markets Shops Allocation and Verification Committee led by Bishop Godfrey Onah of Nsukka Catholic Diocese for submitting its interim report.
Asogwa made the commendation in Nsukka on Friday in his office while briefing newsmen shortly after receiving the interim report from the committee. The council chairman said he knew what it means for the two bishops in the committee, Bishop Onah and Bishop Aloysius Agbo of Nsukka Anglican Diocese to leave their tight spiritual schedules to work in the committee.
He said: “I commend the committee chaired by Onah for submitting its interim report today and I pledge to implement recommendations in the report.” Asogwa disclosed to newsmen that one of the recommendations of the committee was for Nsukka local government to consider establishing two new markets in the area in view of the daily growing population of Nsukka town and it’s environs.
“The council will see what we can do to implement this recommendation of building new markets, if our resources can not carry us, we will escalate it to our performing governor, Dr Peter Mbah of Enugu State, whom I know will be willing to assist. He said: “My job in Nsukka is to help domesticate the governor’s mantra of ‘tomorrow is here in Enugu State, here in Nsukka’.”
He said according to the report, only 572 people in Aku Road Market have submitted shop allocations papers for verification, 896 people in Opi Market, and 433 people in Building Materials Market. While 879 people in Ikpa Market, 341 people in Mechanic Village and 1,246 people in Ogige Main Market which he noted were not up 40 per cent of expected shops to be verified.
Asogwa urged traders that have shops in the affected markets to ensure they submitted their shops allocation papers to the committee to avoid losing their shops ownership. “The committee is expected to submit its final report by June and Nsukka LG will implement and use the report as working documents and will revoke the ownership of any shop not verified by the committee.
“Nsukka LG has done much awareness and publicity in media, churches, markets as well as using public address system to go round the town to tell those who have shops in the affected markets to submit their allocation papers to the committee for verification. Nobody should hold Nsukka Council responsible if ownership of his or her shop is revoked after the committee submitted its final report by June,” Asogwa said.
