The Chairman of Nsukka Local Government Area in Enugu State, Jude Asogwa, has threatened to revoke market shops not verified by the Nsukka Markets Shops Allocation and Verification Committee.

Mr Asogwa made the vow in Nsukka on Friday in his office while briefing journalists shortly after receiving the interim report from the 10-man committee led by Bishop Godfrey Onah of Nsukka Catholic Diocese.

He said, “Nsukka Local Government has done much awareness and publicity in media, churches, markets as well as using public address systems 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.’’

The council chairman said he knew what it meant 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.’’

Mr Asogwa disclosed that one of the recommendations of the committee was for Nsukka Council to consider establishing two new markets in the area considering the daily growing population of Nsukka town and its environs.

He said, “The council will see what we can do to implement this recommendation of building new markets, if our resources cannot carry us, we will escalate it to our performing governor, Dr Peter Mbah, whom I know will be willing to assist. My job in Nsukka is to help domesticate the governor’s mantra of ‘Tomorrow is Here” in Enugu State, here in Nsukka.’’

According to the report, only 572 people in Aku Road Market have submitted shop allocation papers for verification, 896 people in Opi Market and 433 people in Building Materials Market.

The report noted 879 people in Ikpa Market, 341 people in Mechanic Village and 1,246 people in Ogige Main Market which he noted were not up to 40 per cent of expected shops for verification.

The LG boss urged traders with shops in the affected markets to submit allocation papers to the committee to avoid losing ownership.  

He stated, “The committee is expected to submit its final report by June and Nsukka Council will implement and use the report as working documents and will revoke the ownership of any shop not verified by the committee.’’

(NAN)