A group of traders and market women from across the South-East region of Nigeria, representing markets in Onitsha, Aba, Nnewi, Enugu, Owerri, and Abakaliki, have issued a set of demands to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 general elections. The group, known as the Goodluck Nigeria Movement, comprises over 1,000 traders and market women from various markets, including Onitsha Main Market, Ochanja Market, and Head Bridge. They have called on the ADC to commit to a clear development agenda for the region.
The traders, who have joined the ADC due to its message of loyalty and sacrifice, have presented five non-negotiable development demands for the region. They emphasized that their support for the party would be based on concrete development commitments rather than party slogans. The group's National Coordinator, Emma Umerah, is coordinating the mobilisation effort. The traders are seeking a South-East Project Charter that would outline specific development commitments and implementation timelines.
One of the key demands is the revival of the Onitsha River Port and the expansion of inland water transport. The traders believe that efficient inland water transportation could reduce pressure on roads and improve the movement of goods into the commercial heartland of the South-East. They proposed the commencement of barge services linking Lagos and Port Harcourt with Onitsha to facilitate the movement of goods. The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) currently lists an Onitsha River Port facility and an Onitsha Area Office.
The traders also demanded dedicated and reliable electricity for the Aba and Nnewi industrial clusters. They argued that manufacturers and small businesses cannot achieve their full potential without dependable power. Providing dependable power to industrial clusters would strengthen local manufacturing, create employment, and reduce the economic pressures contributing to youth unemployment. Aba and Nnewi are major industrial hubs in the South-East, producing shoes and motors, respectively.
The group also called for the accelerated completion of the Port Harcourt–Maiduguri railway corridor, with effective connections serving Aba, Enugu, Onitsha, and other major commercial centres. They believe that goods moving from the Port Harcourt axis should be able to reach markets in the South-East and onward to other parts of the country by rail. The Federal Ministry of Transportation has described rail as an important means of moving bulk goods between ports and inland markets.
Additionally, the traders demanded the completion and improvement of access roads connecting the Second Niger Bridge with major commercial and industrial areas. They stressed that major infrastructure should be connected to the industrial and commercial communities it is intended to serve. Better road connections would improve the movement of goods between the South-East, South-South, and other parts of Nigeria. The traders also called for a comprehensive South-East industrial and youth development programme to support manufacturers, artisans, technology entrepreneurs, and young people.
The traders said they were prepared to mobilise their markets and communities ahead of the 2027 elections, but insisted that political mobilisation must be tied to measurable development commitments. They urged the ADC leadership and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to engage directly with market leaders, manufacturers, youth groups, and other stakeholders in the region and translate the demands into a formal development agenda. The traders' objective is to secure concrete economic opportunities and infrastructure that would benefit the South-East and contribute to Nigeria's wider economic development.
Key points
- Traders from South-East Nigeria present five non-negotiable demands to ADC for development.
- Demands include revival of Onitsha River Port, reliable electricity for Aba and Nnewi industrial clusters.
- Completion of Eastern railway corridor and Second Niger Bridge access roads also demanded.
