Mayor Koijee Gives Hope to Omega Marketers

The newly opened Omega market was yesterday a scene of jubilation and excitement when Monrovia City Mayor, Jefferson Tamba Koijee, marched in with his team to give hope to the aggrieved marketers who are confronted by several challenges.

Koijee, speaking to the market sellers, assured that the government is exerting efforts to ensure that the market has enough toilets, warehouses, and people encroaching on the land belonging to it are removed. 

“Government is concerned about your being here, and there are too many concerns that we cannot solve all at the same time, but we are going to solve the road issue first.”

Since the relocation of marketers from Red Light, there has been traffic congestion at the Omega junction, thereby slowing business activities at the site. Marketers, travelers, and residents are finding it difficult to go about their daily activities due to traffic jams.

People traveling from Monrovia to Careysburg, Kakata and beyond, spend long hours in traffic due to the congested traffic between Parker Paint junction and the University of Liberia (UL) campus in Fendell.

The relocation of sellers from Red Light, however, has been a longstanding plan; the abrupt decision in recent days was enforced to free the area to enable the ongoing roadworks from the Parker Paint Junction to ELWA Junction.

 The decision was reportedly precipitated by a threat from the Japanese Government that if the government of Liberia fails to clear the Red Light area to allow for the completion of the 6.1- kilometer road from Coca Cola factory to ELWA before 2022, the government will pay a fee of US$2.5 million to the Japanese people. 

There is only one narrow road leading from the main Kakata Highway to the market ground, and the assertive and boastful Mayor said, “We will make sure to open the roads so that customers will come in to buy.  President George Weah is concerned about what you are experiencing here.”

He told the marketers to hold onto what is available now as the government finds solutions to the problem. “When you find your spot, develop it, don’t be scared, and nobody should sell space to you.”

Before his unannounced visit, President George Weah on Tuesday, July 13, 2021, visited the site but could not disembark from his vehicle, which the marketers considered as a way of ignoring their plights. 

Mayor Koijee warned the market sellers not to give money to the Liberia Market Association (LMA) for daily ticket fees or any other thing because the entire area is free for the sellers.

The statement came when sellers were chanting, “We want space; we want warehouse, we want toilets”, a concern Mayor Koijee promised that the government would make sure to address, “but first, they need to embrace the new market.” 

Solar panel lights have been installed from the intersection, leading to the market buildings to reduce insecurity at night for the market sellers who are also complaining about the limited number of warehouses.

The lack of warehouses causes some to sleep near their goods because they live far from the market and it is difficult to transport them back and forth.

Lilian Johnson, who sells eddoes and plantains said, “We don’t even have a good place to sell, but the LMA has already started to collect daily ticket money from us. Even the toilet that was built in the market building, we pay money to use it. We pay L$30 for urinating and L$40 for defecating.”

She said although the statement from Mayor Koijee is encouraging, the main concern is when the government will do these things. 

“Talking is free in Liberia; we have been here since this week, calling on them to help us, but no way. Toilets and warehouses are important in any market, where we live far from where we keep our goods.”

Esther Y. Jones, who sells palm oil, said, “Since we came, we have been complaining about a place to sell, which is important because, if we do not have a spot to sell, then, we have no reason coming here.”

Hearing Mayor Koijee on July 15, the market sellers expressed the belief that the government is concerned about them. 

“We know that LMA will still come to collect its ticket money, but we hope the government will build more toilets and create more space for us soon.  That is our main concern,” said Esther Jones.