ONITSHA, ANAMBRA— TRADERS in Onitsha, the commercial hub of the South East have called on president Olusegun Obasanjo to hasten action on the plan to dredge the River Niger just as they also urged him to evolve policies that would enhance the value of the naira which keeps depreciating everyday.

The traders’ call came on the heels of a cry by women in Ogbaru Local Government of Anambra State over the deplorable condition of the Onitsha-Ossomala Road which has been abandoned by the federal government even as the women embarked on self rehabilitation effort on the road to enable them evacuate their farm produce to other cities in the state.

The traders, under the umbrella of Concerned Businessmen also expressed concern over the deplorable roads in the South East, especially the ever-busy Onitsha - Owerri road, the Atani-Onitsha road, the Oko- Umunze-Okigwe road which they described as "death traps" and urged president Obasanjo to urgently do something about the roads.

According to the leader of the group, Chief Gilbert Obi, he called on the federal government to intensify its efforts in dredging the River Niger to make it a viable seaport to assist importers and businessmen in the commercial city of Onitsha who have to go to Lagos or Port Harcourt for the clearance of their goods.

Obi also described the poor communication network in the South East, especially the telephone facilities which he described as "very poor and non functional." The traders also lambasted South East political office holders and members of the National Assembly for their non committed interest in the welfare of the people they are representing, and urged them to rise up to their duties and protect the interest of their people.

Obi however commended the efforts of the South East governors for their effort "at unifying the zone", and charged them to do more to improve the welfare of the citizenry and avoid "self-seeking". He specifically commended Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju for his effort to develop the state, especially his policy on security and called on the people of the state to support him.

Meanwhile, worried by the deplorable state of the Onitsha-Ossomala federal road, the Ossomala women have embarked on self help effort to rehabilitate the road by filling the pot-holes to enable them evacuate the farm produce to other parts of the state.

Speaking during the road rehabilitation exercise organised by the Ogbaru Women Organisation the leader of women, Mrs. Janet Egonu lamented that the road was last rehabilitated during the administration of Ukpabi Asika during the old East Central State, saying that "Ogbaru which is the food basket for the state has no motorable road to transport their fair produce."

The women said they were forced to embark on the road rehabilitation exercise "to reduce the sufferings encountered by transporters" whom they claimed have abandoned their area and diverted to other areas thereby compounding their problem of transporting their farm produce to available markets in the state.