By Young E. Freeborn, Warri
The women of Unenurhie community in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State have called on the state government to give them “a befitting modern market” as they have “no ideal place to call a market” in their community.
In a chat with our correspondent in the community, leader of the Unenurhie women, Mrs. Ajari Ephron said that, the poor nature and the small size of the local market in the community is a setback for many of the women in the community that want to venture into local trading, especially buying and selling of foodstuff and other local products as a means of livelihood and survival.
The woman leader called on the Delta State governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori to listen to their pains and tears as many of the industrious women in the community are now becoming idle as the local market can not accommodate them due to its small size and lack of modern stalls to shade their products during market days.
Also, spokeswoman of the Unenurhie women group, Mrs. Ruth Abrucha, pleaded with the state’s First Lady, Mrs. Oborevwori, “as our own daughter,” to pay an unscheduled visit to the community to see things for herself and equally experience what they (women) are passing through with respect to the local market.
She said, “Our market is located along the East-West federal road. It’s situated in a very small place. There are no modern stalls in the market and the place is even too small to accommodate us during our market days. We have been bearing this ugly experience for so many years now. At the moment, the market is about to completely collapse from existence. And once it’s collapsed, then we have no place to turn to again to do our trading business.
“Many of our young women who are very industrious before, are today becoming so weak and lazy because of the poor nature of the market. This is why we are passionately calling on the Delta State governor to give us a modern market that can accommodate us and other traders from neighbouring communities.
“The community have a large expanse of land for the provision of the modern market. Our leaders are ready to release the land for government to build the market for the community. We need it urgently because the market is our source of financial freedom as women,” she said.