{"id":380844,"date":"2017-12-07T11:48:58","date_gmt":"2017-12-07T11:48:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=380844"},"modified":"2017-12-07T13:39:35","modified_gmt":"2017-12-07T13:39:35","slug":"koforidua-traders-protest-against-relocation-to-new-market-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/12\/koforidua-traders-protest-against-relocation-to-new-market-photos\/","title":{"rendered":"Koforidua traders protest against relocation to new market [Photos]"},"content":{"rendered":"
More than 300 petty traders in the Eastern Regional capital, Koforidua, took to the streets\u00a0 on\u00a0 Thursday morning, to protest the Juaben Municipal Assembly\u2019s decision to relocate them from the streets to a newly constructed market.<\/p>\n
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The traders, mostly women, were clad in red, as they marched through some principal streets of the regional capital, before presenting a petition to the Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Darfour.<\/p>\n
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The traders are resisting the Assembly’s decision to relocate with the excuse the new market has no toilet or urinal facilities. They also claim the spaces there cannot contain all of them.<\/p>\n
They have thus asked the Assembly to allow them to sell on the pavements and other unauthorized spots at least for the Christmas period to enable them make some good sales, since the new area may not be good for business at the moment.<\/p>\n
But the Assembly says it cannot allow an illegality to continue and the traders must move at all cost.<\/p>\n
Amidst chants, the traders held placards with inscriptions such as “Give us our freedom\u201d, \u201c2020 we go show Nana\u201d, \u201cNana, you have deceived us\u201d, \u201cSay no to Abaye\u201d, \u201cMCE is Hitler,” among others.<\/p>\n
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This is about the third time in three months such an action has taken place after the New Juaben Municipal Assembly commenced a decongestion exercise a month ago, to sanitize the principal streets of Koforidua.<\/p>\n
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Some of the demonstrators who spoke to Citi News<\/strong> called for the resignation of the Municipal Chief Executive, Madame Comfort Asante whom they said was abusing her powers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The leader of the demonstrators, Theodore Kofi Aboagye, who presented the petition to the Eastern Regional Minister, said the traders had been deceived by the leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who promised that they will not be relocated.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Eric Kwakye Darfour, after receiving the petition on behalf of the President, assured the traders that their concerns will be addressed.<\/p>\n