A cloud of uncertainty hung over the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) major market yesterday as the university’s task force commenced the demolition of shop roofs, leaving students with questions and opening windows for the flow of rumours as to what led to the demolition of shops.
While the move sparked immediate panic and a wave of rumors across the FUTO community, an in-depth investigation by Next Media, has brought the true facts to light.
The friction began over a year ago when the university management first issued a directive for traders to move their structures backward. The FUTO market, a bustling market for everything from foodstuffs, shoes and clothing to high-end gadgets, had become a victim of its own success. Sometimes traders usually extend their goods onto the road to attract customers, making the road congestion at times especially after the resumption of new students every session.
Initially, the school did not ask for a total evacuation. A request was made last year and was simple which was for the traders to move their shops and containers backward in order not to make the road look congested. However, the traders delayed, opting to procrastinate in hopes that the directive would not be enforced.
The situation escalated following the launch of a major sustainable energy initiative which was the FUTO Solar Farm Project. This project, designed to provide 24-hour power to the entire campus, necessitated the installation of high-tension overhead wires directly above the market area.
Engineering experts and school authorities raised immediate red flags. Maintaining a marketplace directly beneath high-voltage lines presents a significant electrical hazard, including risks of electrocution, fire outbreaks, and equipment failure. Because the traders had failed to move back when previously instructed, the university upgraded its directive from "move back" to a total evacuation of the premises. The directive for evacuation came last year before the installation of the Solar.
Next media got this information after careful and well structured investigation that was made after interviews were made with some traders.
Since the demolition began, rumors have circulated among the student body suggesting that the traders were being evicted for failing to pay their shop rents. However, Next Media wants to debunk these claims.
Through exclusive interviews with affected traders, it was gathered that payments were up to as most traders have been consistent with their financial obligations to the school.
Recently, when traders attempted to make new payments, the school management instructed them to hold on, signaling that the area was no longer designated for commercial use due to the solar project.
The issue was never money, it was the fact that the lives and properties will be out at big risk due to the high-tension overhead wires that were directly above the shops.
While the containers themselves remain largely intact, the removal of the roofs has rendered the shops unusable for the time being. The actions of the task force was seen as a last resort after multiple notices. Next Media journalists also gathered that a notice was also served to the traders last month.
For students, the demolition means a temporary disruption in access to essential goods, but for the university, it is a necessary step toward campus-wide electrification and public safety for both lives and properties.
Students are advised to desist from spreading false information. Next Media will keep our audience updated on the latest news regarding the demolition of the FUTO Market.
