Omega market superintendent, Mary Sayblee Walleh, has urged the Liberian government to take decisive action to relocate marketers from Red Light Market to Omega Market. Walleh emphasized that the continued presence of marketers at Red Light is negatively impacting businesses at Omega Market.
“Imagine the items people are looking to buy at Omega Market are available at Red Light. Who would want to pay 50LD or 100LD to come to Omega to shop?” Walleh asked rhetorically in an interview with the Daily Observer Newspaper.
She Walleh revealed that for the past three years, businesses at Omega Market have struggled due to a lack of customers. She pointed out that Omega Market has several market buildings, including a large central building, all of which remain largely unoccupied.
Omega Market’s second building lay empty.
Since the initial relocation from Red Light to Omega, there has been a brief period of business activity. However, many marketers have since returned to Red Light. Walleh noted that despite numerous appeals to the government during the previous administration, the issue persists.
Walleh addressed rumors about a lack of facilities at Omega Market, clarifying that the market buildings are available but unoccupied. She called on the government to intervene, stressing the need to support the businesses and families reliant on Omega Market.
Fatu Konneh, a businesswoman at Omega Market, shared her frustrations, stating that since the move from Gobachop to Omega Market four years ago, many of her fellow marketers have returned to Red Light.
She lamented the lack of customers and the challenges faced by those remaining at Omega.
“We go to the office every day asking when the other marketers will return, but we never see any progress. People are leaving Omega to go back to Red Light because there is no effort to bring customers back here,” Konneh explained.
Konneh added that the situation has forced her to send her goods out for sale elsewhere. She also described the hardship of traveling daily from Jacob Town to Omega Market, only to find no customers.
Emmanuel S. Garneo, a greens seller at Omega Market, echoed these concerns. He described the market as empty and polluted, with no buyers and an increasing presence of “Zogo” (street criminals). Garneo called on the government to enforce the relocation of Red-Light marketers to Omega Market, believing that a consolidated effort would attract customers.
Garneo noted that he has remained at Omega Market since the relocation enforced by former President George Weah’s administration, adhering to the rules and hoping for a resolution.
View of the big Omega market
Darling Girl Kerkula, a seller at Red Light, provided a different perspective. She stated that she couldn’t sell at Omega because everyone else was selling the same goods at Red Light.
She emphasized that a unified move to Omega Market is the only way she would consider relocating her business.
In conclusion, the Omega Market Superintendent and other stakeholders are appealing to the government to address the issue urgently. They believe that with proper enforcement and support, Omega Market can thrive, benefiting both the marketers and the community.
