Fubara inspects modern market project, sets January 2027 completion date

Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Tuesday inspected the ongoing construction work at the popular Creek Road Market in Port Harcourt, declaring that the project will be completed in January 2027.

The new market,  which is divided into three sections, is designed to provide a decent and more conducive environment for traders who have, for many years, extended their business activities to the road due to congestion in the old market.

The governor was conducted round the project site by Opiribo West, the site engineer for E.S.T Masters Construction, the firm handling the project, alongside the state Commissioner for Special Projects, Tonye Belgam.

Addressing newsmen at the end of the inspection, the governor said the reconstruction of the market was borne out of the need to provide adequate space for the traders and clear the surrounding roads of the spillover from the market.

This was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Onwuka Nzeshi and made available to newsmen.

Fubara noted that the ongoing rehabilitation of the network of roads in the old Port Harcourt  Township had been significantly hampered by the lack of a modern market, stressing that the new market will be a promise kept and part of the high-quality infrastructure and urban renewal programme of his administration.

“You are aware that we did promise our people that all the roads in town would be fixed. But we had a very serious issue because of the Creek Road section of the township roads. Because of not having adequate space to accommodate the traders in the market,  they extended their activities onto the road and that became a serious issue for our construction work.

“So we decided that for us to deliver a better project that would impress our people,  we must, as a matter of fact, embark on building a better and more comfortable market for our people,” the governor said.

Fubara explained that while construction work has begun in Section A of the market, Section B  is being prepared for immediate commencement of construction, while Section C will require a more rigorous engineering approach because of its location on a borrow pit.

He stated, “As you are aware,  we’ve been here once to check the activities of the contractor. Today, I’m here to see for myself the extent of work that is ongoing. And I feel very happy that they are doing a very good job.

“They just informed me that the market is divided into three sections. The section A and the section B and the section C. The A is the one we just saw here that they’ve already started from the ground.

“This B section is the other side which they will start soon, while the C section is the one that they discovered that it was a borrow pit.

“And you know, you can’t build on top of a borrow pit. So we had to do an evacuation and filling. So I believe that once those things are done, the other part of the market will also commence.”

The governor continued, “They even assured me that the timeline I gave to them for January, they are going to deliver the project fully for our people to use.”

Fubara emphasised that the investment in a modern market is an integral part of his administration’s agenda on good governance through the delivery of legacy projects.