Female traders protest over market closure in Onitsha

By -


Female traders in Onitsha, Anambra state, yesterday, continued their protest over the closure of their market at Ezinwanne shopping mall along Silas Works Road in the Fegge area of Onitsha, by the state’s environmental task force (a.k.a Ocha Brigade).


Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State
The women who commenced their protest on Monday when they came into the market for their normal business transaction and discovered to their chagrin that all the vehicles that brought fruits and vegetables into the market for sale were diverted to Atani road, threatened to relocate their businesses to the neighbouring Asaba, Delta State if Governor Willie Obiano did not call Ocha Brigade to order and revert the decision to eject them from the market.

During yesterday’s continued protest, the women who were mainly fruits and vegetable sellers, marched to the  Onitsha South Local Government Secretariat in Fegge to register their grievances from where they marched to the premises of Anambra State Broadcasting Corporation, ABS and some other public places.

The protesters, carried placards with inscriptions as “Obiano, leave us alone, we voted for you and you now want to pay us back by chasing us out of our business premises;” “We cannot move to government designated market at Atani Road because our lives are at risk due to armed robbers and rapists in the area;” “Obiano, call your task force to order or else we will relocate to Asaba if Anambra State our own state rejects us,” among others, chanted abusive words against the state government, security men and the task force.

Reacting to the development, Chairman of the Corn Dealers Association, Mr. Michael Mkpume said that government has been on their neck for some time now, after they ejected and shut their market at Coca-Cola market along the Upper Iweka/Bridge-head end of the Onitsha-Awka expressway before the owner of the shopping mall accepted harbour them at the present premises which belongs to the Plaza owner and not the government, only for the same government to turn round to chase them out of the plaza area.

Appealing to Governor Obiano to intervene and settle the matter before it will degenerate to another thing, another  woman trader, Mrs. Chinyere Onuekwusi lamented the damages and loses already incurred by the traders since Monday when the protest started, adding that all their perishable goods have been destroyed while some traders lost their money.

However, the Director-General of Environmental Task force (Ocha Brigade) Chief Kenneth Okonkwo who reacted to the matter, told newsmen that the decision of the government on the relocation of the traders to the government market at Atani road was irreversible due to environmental degradation and traffic congestion being constituted by the traders in the area.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SEX TAPE DOWNLOAD: UNIOSUN lecturer accuses former colleague, others of blackmail

By -
Image
The embattled lecturer at the Department of Languages and Linguistics of the Osun State University, Ikire Campus, Dr. Olabode  Ojoniyi, has accused one of the lecturers of the university, who was recently dismissed for an alleged misconduct, as the person who allegedly contracted the 400 level female student, Mercy Ikwue, to blackmail him. The female student, who secretly recorded sexual activities involving her and Ojoniyi recently released the video, which has been generating reactions. But a correspondent from Punch gathered from some students of the university that Ojoniyi, on Friday, posted an open letter on the platform of the Great Linguistics Whatsapp Group, where he accused the female lecturer and the Provost, Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo, Prof. Olukoya Ogen, as the architects of his problem. The embattled lecturer, in the letter entitled, “Open letter to Nigerians and the whole world on the alleged “UNIOSUN lecturer in sex scandal video” also accused ...
Read more

The Nigerian Air Force deploys more fighter jets to combat NDA

By -
Image
The Nigerian Air Force has deployed additional aircraft to Niger Delta region against militancy, economic sabotage and all forms of criminalities. A statement by NAF reads: “The Nigerian Air Force has deployed additional aircraft to the Niger Delta in support of the military operations code named “Operation Pulo Shield” against militancy, economic sabotage and all forms of criminalities in the south-south region of the country. “The deployment was necessitated by the recent spate of attacks on the Nation’s oil and gas installations by the new militant group, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA). “The additional platforms, comprising fighter aircraft, helicopter gunship and surveillance aircraft, are intended to enhance the capability of the NAF to undertake offensive air operations and intelligence gathering in support of the surfaces forces. “Since the recent deployment the NAF has increased air operations around critical infrastructure in Delta, Bayelsa, Rive...
Read more

PRISON BREAK: 15 inmates escape from Nsukka prison

By -
Image
No fewer than 15 inmates were believed to have escaped from Nsukka Prison in Enugu state in a jail-break that occurred on Tuesday night. A reliable source at the prison who pleaded anonymity said on Wednesday that the inmates broke their cells and scaled over the perimeter fence. “The inmates carefully opened their cells and scaled the perimeter fence of the prisons. “Before prison officials on night duty knew what was happening, about 15 inmates had escaped,” the source said. Controller of the prison, Mr Lawrence Okonkwo, confirmed the jail break but declined to give the number of inmates that escaped. “Yes there was a jail break last night in Nsukka prison but I am not in a position to say how many prisoners escaped. “We are expecting the Enugu state Prisons Controller, Mr Isaiah Amariri, in Nsukka prison so that we brief him on what happened last night. “He will be the one to tell the public the number of inmates that escaped, re-arrested ones and efforts put in pl...
Read more