Jubilee House derailed moves by EKMA to reassign unused shops at Apremdo Market – Chief

The Divisional Chief of Apremdo, Nana Egya Kwamina XI has revealed that efforts by the Effia Kwesimintsim Municipal Assembly (EKMA) to reassign unopened shops at the dormant Apremdo Market were scuttled by calls from some unknown highly placed persons at the Jubilee House to stop the intended exercise.

Speaking on Empire Fm and Radio 360‘s weekend news analyses programme Western Today in Takoradi, the outspoken Apremdo Divisional Chief expressed disappointment at the unwillingness of powers that be to push for the revival of the age-old defunct Apremdo Market.

“We have run down the only Jubilee grounds where we used to be proud of. For over 4 years now, we have turned it into a market when the spacious Apremdo market still remains unoccupied. Those who have taken shops at the market and refuse to operate it must be pushed to move out so they are re-allocated. The Assembly is responsible for markets and must enforce and ensure those who have shops at Apremdo market, operate it.

“You cannot sit at Jubilee Park market and prevent others from legally reacquiring your shop that you are refusing to operate. The land is for me, my relatives, and predecessors and we have every right to protect those interested in using the defunct stores. The Assembly must be firm and insist on this recently when they (EKMA) moved to serve notice to owners of shops who are refusing to open them, calls began flooding in from Jubilee House from some powerful persons that shops of their relatives are being re-assigned and they must be reverted to them immediately,” the visibly enraged Chief stated alleged.

He continued: “I am just revealing some snippets of the information as anyone can dig further at the Assembly as notices of the reassignment were pasted on the shops. But the calls from Jubilee House neutralized all these and I told the Assembly to commission me as the Divisional Chief to do the reassignment of the shops for the market to be revived.”

The Apremdo Market is strategically placed in the centre of the metropolis with vast land for a vibrant market and public transport operations but all efforts to ensure it is operationalized have been met with controversies and opposition.

A good opportunity to revive it was provided when Covid broke in 2000 and when the need to socially distance market women arose, most market women were relocated to the Jubilee Park which was the only place of social gathering and events.

The EKMA MCE, Kojo Acquah shies away from discussing the issue as he intimates it is courting him animosity within his own political party. Checks with the STMA on when the promise of relocation to a makeshift site under construction will be finalized always met with unfulfilled timelines.