Ezeonu Foundation Gives Fresh Hope to 500 Afor Nnobi Market Demolition Victims

By Our Reporter

The Hamilton and Thelma Ezeonu Foundation has provided relief materials and financial assistance to more than 500 traders affected by the demolition of shops and buildings at Afor Nnobi Market in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The intervention, which included a medium-sized bag of rice and an undisclosed cash donation for each beneficiary, was aimed at helping the displaced traders, many of them elderly women, rebuild their businesses and regain their means of livelihood.

The demolition reportedly affected more than 200 buildings and shops as part of the reconstruction and widening of the Afor Nnobi roundabout. The project is intended to improve the appearance of the area, ease traffic flow and reduce congestion, particularly during festive periods.

Speaking at the relief distribution, the founder of the Hamilton and Thelma Ezeonu Foundation, High Chief Hamilton Ezeonu, popularly known as Ikemba Idemili, said the intervention was motivated by his concern over the plight of the affected traders.

He said, “What we have just given you is our own little way of contributing to your livelihood, so that you can rent shops and start life again. We want all of you who have lost your means of livelihood to start all over again and be able to fend for your families.”

Ezeonu said he was deeply affected when he learnt about the demolition and the hardship it had caused the traders.

“One of our main purposes is to assuage you for what happened at Afor Market. When I heard about the incident, I could not sleep for nights because you lost your means of livelihood,” he said.

According to him, he subsequently reached out to Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, and other Nnobi leaders to seek ways of addressing the situation.

“I could not sit somewhere while my people are suffering. We cannot abandon you. Your issue is very personal to me,” Ezeonu said.

He further announced that the foundation would provide N10 million when the new Afor Nnobi Market is completed and shops are allocated to the displaced traders. The fund, he said, would be used to provide grants and other forms of support to help beneficiaries rebuild their businesses.

Ezeonu also appealed to the affected community to support the state government’s plans for the reconstruction of the market, stressing that the demolition was not intended to punish the traders.

He said Governor Soludo had assured community leaders that once the necessary land was made available for the construction of the new Afor Nnobi Market, the government would mobilise contractors to site and ensure that the project was completed as quickly as possible.

Also speaking, the co-founder of the foundation, Dr. (Mrs.) Thelma Ezeonu, Osodieme, expressed sympathy with the affected traders and assured them that the organisation would continue to support vulnerable and less privileged members of society.

For many of the beneficiaries, the intervention came at a critical moment.

One of them, Mrs. Utazi Caroline, 55, said she lost two shops during the road construction and initially felt that her livelihood and that of her family had been destroyed.

She said the foundation’s intervention had restored hope and provided her with the means to begin rebuilding her business.

Another beneficiary, Mrs. Chizoba Ikemba, 62, described the intervention as a major relief.

“My shop, which was demolished in the course of the road construction in Afor Nnobi, was my only source of survival. When it was demolished, I felt that it was all over for me. But today, look at me. Ikemba and his wife have given me a new lease of life. May God bless and support them,” she said.

Mrs. Lovelyn Ezeonyim, 58, said she lost a family house and two shops during the exercise. While appreciating Governor Soludo’s promise to provide new accommodation for her family, she commended the foundation for offering immediate assistance to keep her business going.

Another beneficiary, Mrs. Nkiru Amara, 71, a widow, said she lost what she described as a “very big provision shop” during the demolition.

She praised the foundation for bringing the affected traders together and providing immediate assistance at a time when many of them were struggling to cope with their losses.

A major stakeholder in Nnobi, Chief Ikechukwu Obachie, Ichie Chinedu Nnobi, thanked the Hamilton and Thelma Ezeonu Foundation for coming to the aid of the displaced traders.

He appealed to the relevant authorities to expedite the reconstruction of the new Afor Nnobi Market, stressing that the timely completion of the project would enable the affected traders to return to business.

The intervention has therefore provided temporary relief to hundreds of displaced traders while attention remains focused on the reconstruction of the market and the restoration of sustainable livelihoods for those affected.

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