Taraba market women urge govt to improved infrastructure and amenities

Women traders in Taraba State have appealed to the state government and local council chairpersons to provide essential amenities, including toilets, boreholes, security, and infrastructure, across markets in all 16 local government areas.

President of the Taraba Market Women Association, Mrs. Magret Mustapha, made this plea during an interview with our correspondent at her shop in Jalingo Main Market on Friday.

She stated that the lack of basic facilities and crumbling infrastructure, such as collapsed bridges, is hindering the socioeconomic growth of the state.

“Here in Jalingo Main Market, we don’t have toilet and clean water to sanitize ourselves, the only existing toilet, we are sharing it 1 woman, 10 men, we resulted to going to the neighboring house, even at that, the neighboring houses are using pit toilets which is not hygienic to our women, you know that we are vulnerable to transmitted diseases,” Mrs. Mustapha said.

She added, “The lack of basic amenities is not only in Jalingo Main Market, is across the sixteen LGAs. We are calling on our Governor, Agbu Kefas to come to our aid, we are also calling on the LGC chairmen to make provision for the basic facilities to better our day to day activities.”

Mrs. Mustapha also highlighted the impact of the collapsed Mallam Audu bridge, stating, “At anytime one woman is down with transmitted disease, the social economic of both her house and that of Taraba state is down, the Mallam Audu bridge linking Yoro to Jalingo has collapsed, that is the source of Yams supply to the state capital Jalingo, let the government fix it, the cost of Yams in the market here is as a result of cost transportation from the area.”

The market women urged the government to urgently address these issues, including repairing the collapsed Mallam Audu bridge, to improve market conditions and support their livelihoods across the state.