The Caretaker Committee Chairman of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Hon. Ezebunwo Ichemati yesterday, visited the popular Rumuwoji (Mile I) Market in Diobu.
Chief Press Secretary of the council – Chidozie Victor Anuebunwa in a statement said the chairman frowned at the conversion of 12 out of the 16 toilets in the market to shops by the past council administrations.
According to him, the chairman’s displeasure was heightened on seeing that these traders sell food stuffs with the water closet (WC) and urinals still inside the toilet with stench of faeces and urine coming out of them.
He described the act as unhygienic and a breeding ground for the spread of infection and disease while ordering for the immediate closure of the shops and vowed to return them solely to the original purpose they were built for.
“It is quite unfortunate the discovery I saw here, provisions made for toilets for customers and traders, not that it was converted to stops and other things in the toilets were removed, visibly you are seeing the WC there and people are using it as shops now. It is unhygienic,” he said.
“According to what the Market Chairman said, the previous administrations, especially the immediate past Mayor, they converted the toilet to stops. It is a sad one that people will come to the market, they don’t have access to the restrooms and you see them defecating and urinating under the staircase or the walkway causing disease, germs for other people. I will not take it and that is why I am here. I have ordered that those toilet locations should be shut down and for the immediate return to their original state,” he added.
