Traders at the new kejetia market in the Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi have vowed to defy the directive for the facility to be closed for one more week.
The leadership of the traders, together with transport operators, said they will on Monday March 20, 2023 go to the facility and engage in their usual activities despite the board’s directive.
This comes after the board of the facility directed for the market to be closed for one more week following Wednesday’s fire incident.
The traders have described the decision as insensitive and have, thus, called on the board and the management to, as a matter of urgency, reverse the decision.
An affected trader, Ahmed Kwarteng, in an interview on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem said they will defy the order.
He explained that continuous closure is insensitive and will affect traders who deal in perishable goods.
Mr Kwarteng said they have already massed up at the facility to force management to open the market.
The traders also in a joint press statement have resolved to defy the directive of the board.
“Having sighted a press release purporting to come from the Kumasi City Market board of directors, on the opening of the Kejetia market which has been extended for one extra week starting Monday 20th March 2023, we wish to categorically state that we disagree with this vehemently. Let no one take us the traders and transport operators for granted. It is very clear that since the board has a constant source of living they don’t care what source of livelihood the traders and transport operators depend on. Well, we wish to serve notice to the public that Kejetia [market] will be open for trading on Monday. We will not accept the further one week closure,” part of the statement read.
The traders have also blamed the board and management for not taking proactive measures to prevent the situation.
“We wish to put these questions forward”:
1. What did the board do with the numerous warnings from the fire service, one of the copies of the warning letter attached to this release?
2. What is the board trying to hide from the public? Is it their incompetence or ineptitude or their reluctance to act and supervise effectively when they needed to do so?
3. So what have they done within the four (4) days so far when the market was closed down? We can confidently say when given one(1) full year they can’t do anything to help us.
4. Why is the board playing bromance with the management specifically the managing director? Is he their errand boy who does their bidding, so they don’t want to touch him?
5. Why do we still have the Board Chairman and the managing director at post after supervising this disaster? They must go now before we proceed.
6. We were told all the juicy stories about the Kejetia Market. Is anyone trying to cover the lie they told us about the structural integrity of the market?
7. Has the board taken notice of the traders who deal in perishable goods and that even the three days have a negative impact on the market?
8. How is the board going to compensate traders who by virtue of the closure will lose customers to stiff competitors around the Kejetia Market?
9. Is the board going to take responsibility of the daily earnings of traders?
10 For the number of days traders do not trade, will the management have the courage and boldness to ask for service charge from traders when the market is opened.
11. Where was the board who are told to show up as though they care so much and have been working so much when in actual fact they have been sleeping and allowing the Kejetia market to deteriorate?
12. We have heard the repetition of the word structural integrity, wow, does the board really care about the structural engineer of Kejetia? Where were they when seven incidences of burst pipelines destroy traders Wear for which 33 traders are in court with Kumasi city Market limited. Today, fire has exposed them big time, so they want to buy time and hide their shameful faces”.
They also called on President Akufo-Addo to intervene.
“So what is the government led by his Excellency Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo position on all this, do they really care about our woes? Does the president really care about the Kejetia economy in these difficult times for the nation? Does the president sleep comfortably while traders occupying over 800 shops with transport operators suffered this way? We are also part of the people of Ghana ooh. We are by this release calling on all traders and transport operators to come to work tomorrow Monday 20th March 2023, no one should stay home. Everyone should come along with red bands”.