Oba Market: Traders To Enjoy Free Allocation At First, Says Okpebholo
By Ikhili Ebalu, Benin city
Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has said traders will be allocated shops free of charge at the rehabilitated Oba Market in Benin City when the project is completed, to help them return to business quickly.
The governor made this known on Tuesday during an inspection of ongoing projects in the state with a group of editors.
Governor Okpebholo said the free allocation would apply only for an initial period, after which the traders would be expected to make payments.
“Just as we came in to start building, we promised them that it was going to be free. The initial access has to be free,” he said.
He explained that the decision reflects his administration’s commitment to supporting traders affected by the rehabilitation and remodelling of the market, which was razed by a major fire in June 2020 and suffered another outbreak in October 2025.
The governor said the market has two sections. One has lain undeveloped for about 11 to 12 years, while the other is in better condition and needs remodelling.
Under the plan, traders in the section now being rehabilitated will move first into the newly completed section, so that work can continue. They will return to their original locations once the second section is finished.
Okpebholo said the first phase of the project has delivered a crèche, a clinic, water supply, fire service facilities and other amenities meant to improve the welfare of traders and customers. The market now has about 900 shops, made up of roughly 500 lock-up shops and 400 open stalls.
He added that the rehabilitation, which began last year, is intended to give traders and residents who patronise the market a more conducive and functional environment.
Apart from the Oba Market, the editors also visited the New Edo Line, Oredo Girls Secondary School and Army Day Senior Secondary School.
The Principal of Oredo Girls Secondary School, Mrs Adesuwa Uwaifo, spoke of the difficult conditions teachers and students endured in the past and thanked the governor for renovating the school to meet modern standards.
At the Army Day Secondary School in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Kassim Afegbua, said the government took 21 days to put essential infrastructure in place.
He said the work included a perimeter fence, water supply and toilets, solar-powered electricity, and modern marker boards to replace the old chalkboards. Tables and chairs were also supplied to the classrooms.
According to Afegbua, pupils who left for the Easter holiday returned to find the school completely changed.
