Owerri traders who until now had blocked douglas road, Owerri to resume their businesses following the demolition of Ekeukwu Owere market by Governor Rochas Okorocha, were Tuesday afternoon, found trading seriously at the market premises.
Blueprint correspondent gathered that the traders were asked to go back to the premises by the youth of Owerri who assured them that they were making efforts to fully recover the place and reconvert it to the original market status which it was, before Okorocha’s demolition.
They were also convinced by the youth that since the swearing in ceremony was going to take place on Wednesday, they would not like disruptions of any kind on the road.
Just last weekend, the Vice President, Yemi Osibanjo commissioned a hospital, Somto Hospital and Diagnostic Centre on the premises which did not go down well with Owerri people.
For them, the premises remained their ancestral market and no other structure should be built there.
Their lawyers had in the past gotten an injunction against the demolition of the market but the state government led by Okorocha went ahead to construct the hospital named after a 12-year old boy who fell to the bullets of policemen during the demolition.
The Owerri youth and the traders are now hopefully waiting for Chief Emeka Ihedioha to come and officially hand over the premises back to them, having voted him into power in the last governorship election.
