The Cross River State Commissioner for Environment, Barr. Bassey Mensah, has announced plans to relocate roadside traders along the Mobil/MCC Highway to the Fruit Arcade at Ikot Ishie. The move aims to enhance sanitation, ease traffic congestion, and improve the area's environmental aesthetics. Barr. Mensah made the disclosure while receiving a delegation from the Obutong Traditional Council, led by its Acting Chairman, Chief Archibong E. Etim, in his Calabar office. The meeting focused on pressing environmental concerns in Obutong and its environs, particularly sanitation, roadside trading, and the need to improve the general appearance of public spaces. Welcoming the delegation, the Commissioner called for stronger collaboration between the Ministry of Environment, traditional institutions, and community stakeholders to address environmental challenges and promote a clean, orderly, and sustainable environment. He reiterated the Ministry’s readiness to work closely with traditional and community leaders to strengthen sanitation practices, especially in markets and motor parks. Expressing concern over the environmental nuisance caused by roadside trading along the highway, Mensah stressed the need for traders to relocate to designated government-provided market spaces. He noted that the proposed shift to the Fruit Arcade would offer a more organised trading environment while significantly improving sanitation, traffic flow, and the area's overall aesthetics. He further urged youths in the Obutong community to take greater responsibility for environmental sanitation, emphasising that maintaining a clean environment demands collective effort from the government, traditional institutions, and residents. In response, Acting Chairman Chief Archibong E. Etim reaffirmed the community’s commitment to supporting the Ministry’s sanitation initiatives and collaborating with the government to resolve environmental concerns in the area. The meeting was attended by members of the Obutong Traditional Council, including community youths, as well as the management team of the Ministry of Environment.
By Sylvia Okoi
