Anambra signs N100bn agreement for international market with Burkam Group 15 years after

Anambra State Commissioner for Com­merce and Industries, Mr. Ifeatu Olejeme, aborted the inauguration of the market few months ago but yesterday he stood in for the signing of the agreement.

 The Anambra State Government has signed an agree­ment with a pri­vate market developer, Burkam Group Nigeria Limited, to build, oper­ate and transfer, a N100 billion ultra-modern international market at Oba in Idemili South Lo­cal Government Area of the state.

The market, which was started in 1999 un­der the administration of the former governor of the state, Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju, but suffered some hitches, is expected to commence operation in March, this year, with about 1,300 of expected 20,000 shops already built.

Speaking shortly be­fore signing the contract, which will last for 15 years, the Anambra State Commissioner for Com­merce and Industries, Mr. Ifeatu Olejeme, who rep­resented Governor Willie Obiano, said the state gov­ernment was backing the project hundred per cent.

He said the market was in line with one of the governor’s four pillars of development, trade and commerce, to improve the opportunities of traders and the people of the state.

Olejeme said the market, situated on the Onitsha- Owerri Expressway, when completed, would have all the facilities of a modern and international market such as fire service, conve­nience, parking lots, can­teen, baking services, nurs­ery and primary schools for nursing mothers among other basic infrastructure.

He said the establish­ment of the market would help redistribute wealth among the communities in the state, and transform the immediate environment as their land and other things would appreciate.

The commissioner prom­ised that the state govern­ment would do the fencing of the market and the ring roads to show its commit­ment to the success of the project.

The Chairman and man­aging director of Burkam Group Nigeria Limited, Alhaji Hassan Burkar, said with this agreement, the company would work 18 hours daily to meet the March 2015 deadline, as­suring that he would not fail the stakeholders of the market.