Oborevwori Commissions Ozoro Ultra-Modern Market, Targets Trade & Jobs Growth

By BLESSING AGWE ODUGO

DELTA State’s commissioning of the Ozoro Ultra-Modern Market in Isoko North Local Government Area has added a new chapter to the state government’s effort to link public infrastructure with commerce, employment and local economic development.

For the Oborevwori administration, the project represents more than the construction of shops and public facilities. It is also an attempt to provide an organised commercial environment capable of supporting traders, small businesses and entrepreneurs while strengthening Ozoro’s role as a trading centre.

Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, represented by Deputy Governor Sir Monday Onyeme, commissioned the market on Thursday and restated the administration’s commitment to investments that support trade and economic prosperity.

The governor said the state would continue to provide infrastructure capable of creating opportunities for businesses and improving the livelihoods of residents.

A New Commercial Asset for Ozoro

The new market brings together several facilities designed to accommodate different levels of commercial activity.

It has 28 lock-up shops and 192 open shops, creating space for traders with different types and sizes of businesses.

The facility also includes eight upstairs packing stores, a warehouse and a cold room, which could support traders dealing in products that require storage.

Other components include four administrative offices, a market hall, two security posts, male and female toilets, a central water scheme, external interlocking and horticultural development.

The combination of commercial, administrative, security and utility infrastructure reflects an effort to move beyond the traditional market model in which traders operate with limited access to basic facilities.

Oborevwori said the project would provide a conducive environment for trade and enterprise to flourish.

“This facility will not only boost economic activities but also create jobs, stimulate innovation, improve internally generated revenue and enhance the overall well-being of our citizens,” he said.

Infrastructure as an Economic Strategy

Across developing economies, governments often use markets, roads, industrial facilities and other public infrastructure as instruments for stimulating local economic activity.

The logic is straightforward. When traders have better spaces to operate, businesses can expand. As commercial activity grows, employment and other economic opportunities can follow.

That appears to be the development argument behind the Ozoro market.

The governor said the project would support small and medium-scale enterprises and create opportunities for wealth creation.

He also noted that the Isoko people had made significant contributions to Delta State through commerce, agriculture and public service.

For that reason, he said, the location of a major market project in Ozoro was consistent with the town’s longstanding position as a centre of economic activity.

The facility, he added, could help strengthen Ozoro’s commercial influence and provide additional opportunities for traders and entrepreneurs from neighbouring communities.

The Test of Continuity in Governance

The commissioning also brought attention to the issue of continuity in government.

Oborevwori said the project demonstrated his administration’s determination to complete public projects initiated for the benefit of the people.

That principle carries particular significance in Nigeria, where changes in political leadership can sometimes affect the continuity of development projects.

A market that remains incomplete cannot support traders. A warehouse that never becomes operational cannot strengthen local commerce. Public investment only begins to deliver its full value when projects move from the drawing board to practical use.

The governor said his administration had championed the market project because of its potential to foster sustainable economic growth.

“Beyond providing a modern and organised trading environment, this facility will stimulate commercial activities, support small and medium-scale enterprises, enhance livelihoods and create opportunities for employment and wealth creation,” he said.

The commissioning therefore presents the project as an example of infrastructure continuity as well as an investment in local commerce.

Community Leaders See Wider Economic Potential

Speakers at the event linked the market to broader expectations about employment, trade and community development.

The Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Hon. Samuel Oligida, said the facility would improve the environment for commercial activities in Ozoro and surrounding communities.

He described the project as an important platform for traders and entrepreneurs and a potential contributor to the wider prosperity of the area.

The Chairman of Isoko North Local Government Council, Elder Godwin Ogorugba, also said the market would stimulate economic activity and create employment opportunities.

He added that increased commercial activity could improve internally generated revenue and support better livelihoods for residents.

Chief Berkley Eloviano, the President-General of Ozoro Kingdom, described the project as evidence of the government’s commitment to economic development and community growth.

Other community representatives, including Hon. Jonathan Ukodhiko, Comrade Ovuozorie Macauley and Mrs. Charity Awoh, President of the Market Women, Ozoro Kingdom, also expressed appreciation to the state government.

Their common message was that the value of the project would depend on its protection and proper use.

Market Women Receive Financial Support

The commissioning did not focus entirely on infrastructure.

The event also highlighted the importance of supporting the people expected to drive commercial activity within the facility.

Businessman Engr. Omoyibo Daniel provided financial support to 250 market women, with ₦200,000 allocated to each woman.

The intervention underscored the economic importance of women in local trading networks.

Across many Nigerian communities, market women form a major part of the distribution chain that moves food, household goods and other products between producers and consumers.

Support that strengthens their businesses can therefore have effects beyond individual beneficiaries, particularly where increased trading activity supports families, suppliers and local service providers.

Protecting the Investment

The construction of a market is only the first stage of its economic life.

Maintenance, security and management will determine whether the facility continues to serve the community over time.

Oborevwori urged traders, buyers and other stakeholders to take advantage of the opportunities created by the market while also protecting the infrastructure.

He warned against neglect and vandalism and encouraged the community to regard the facility as a shared asset.

“Let us collectively safeguard this investment and use it to promote legitimate business, peaceful coexistence and shared prosperity,” he said.

Community leaders made similar appeals, urging residents and market users to ensure that the facility remains functional for future generations.

Beyond the Commissioning Ceremony

The Ozoro Ultra-Modern Market now faces the more important stage of its existence: becoming a fully active centre of commerce.

Its success will depend on occupancy, effective management, maintenance, security and the ability of traders to generate sustainable business within the facility.

If those elements come together, the market could help strengthen Ozoro’s position as a commercial centre and create new opportunities for small businesses and service providers.

For Delta State, the project also provides another opportunity to test the broader development philosophy behind the MORE Agenda: that infrastructure should not exist merely as a visible government project but should create measurable benefits for the people who use it.

The new market contains the physical ingredients of a modern trading facility. The greater challenge will be converting those structures into sustained commercial activity.

That is where the real story of the Ozoro Ultra-Modern Market will unfold—not at the commissioning ceremony, but in the shops that open, the traders who build businesses, the workers who find employment and the economic activity that follows.

If the facility fulfils those expectations, the project could stand as an example of how targeted public infrastructure can move beyond concrete and construction to become a practical engine of local economic growth in Delta State.