The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Wednesday reopened the popular Garki International market which was closed five days ago due to poor sanitation.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that officials of the FCTA led by Mr Ikharo Attah, the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Monitoring Inspection and Enforcement, reopened the market after the inspection of its sanitary condition.
Attah, while addressing newsman expressed satisfaction with the management and traders of the market for swinging into action to ensure the restoration of the sanity of the market.
He, however, warned that the administration would not hesitate to seal up the market again if the management and traders failed to maintain its standard of environmental cleanliness.
Attah said: ‘”Garki international market has been sealed for five days by the galant team of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB)that got a court verdict to the market.
“The decision to close the market was necessitated by the extreme and provocative nature of dirt in it.
“When we came in here on Tuesday, we discovered that the work done was not very impressive and the Director of AEPB went back with his team, held a high powered meeting with Market Management Limited (MML).
“What we are seeing now is very encouraging, and that is the reason why the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, has approved the reopening of the market.”
Attah also said that the minister warned the director that should the market degenerate again, the administration would close it for a longer time.
Also, the Director of AEPB, Braimah Osilama, cautioned the management of markets across the FCT to ensure that their premises were clean to avoid facing similar unpleasant action.
“The market now is in a proper condition for business, so following the directive of the minister, we have reopened it.
” We will continue to monitor the market as we do in all markets in the FCT, all plazas, all schools, to make sure that they are safe for their patrons.
NAN reports that the traders, who were visibly excited with the development, lauded the FCTA for reopening the market. (NAN)
