By Vincent Ujumadu

TENSION is mounting in the major cities in Anambra State following the renewed destruction of newspapers and sacking of the vendors on their stands by agents of the state government.

The government agents have been harassing the vendors over a long time, culminating in the ongoing destruction of all newsstands in the state capital.

As a result, the vendors have threatened to stop selling newspapers in Anambra State until the problem was resolved.

Apart from the newspaper vendors, thugs deployed by Awka Capital Territory Development Authority ACTDA, have been packing and destroying goods of petty traders who could not afford to rent shops in the malls and the markets.

Some Correspondents of the newspapers who tried to intervene were threatened with arrest and asked to ‘go to hell’.

 Worried by the development, the state House  of Assembly has  urged Governor Chukwuma Soludo to direct the Special Adviser on Trade and Market and the Managing Director of Awka Capital Territory Development Authority, (ACTDA), to commence the construction of affordable local mini markets within Awka Metropolis, arguing that it would

control the menace of street trading in the state capital.

Hon Henry Mbachu, the member representing Awka South 1 Constituency, who sponsored the motion, said poverty rate was on the increase, adding that  creating avenues for people to earn a living had become mandatory.

He said: “There are many quarters within Awka Metropolis which create the need to establish local mini-markets to serve the people.

“It is almost impossible to secure a shop within the already established markets and the limited shops available are in high and exorbitant to rent.

“The creation of mini-markets within Awka will be a solution to solve the menace of shanties, street trading and serve as a means of encouraging micro businesses, thereby achieving the goals of making Anambra a livable and prosperous homeland”.

Press Secretary to Governor Soludo, Mr Christian Aburime has, however, promised to reach out to the Managing Director of ACTA to resolve the problem.

He said there should be designated places for vendors in the state, adding that everywhere in the world, vendors, especially, those at the designated centres, are not affected by such policies.

Aburime said that keeping Anambra clean is for everyone, adding that even in Lagos, Newspaper vendors  are allowed to exist at their designated areas.