Market crises: Traders beg Soludo to sack SPAD ...install capable hands - SPAD
By Chinwe Nwacha, Onitsha
Irked by the leadership crisis currently rocking Onitsha International Electronics Market, situated along Onitsha/Asaba Expressway, Ogbaru Local Government area, Ozomagala Building Materials market, among others, Anambra State, traders at the Onitsha Electronics market weekend accused the Special Adviser, (SPAD), to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Trade and Markets, Hon. Evaristus Uba, of being behind the crises.
Fielding questions from newsmen, the spokesperson of the aggrieved traders, Onyeka Okeke, begged Governor Soludo to sack the aide for being more interested in using his position to enrich himself at the detriment of the traders.
"His office is now meant for gossip and for the highest bidder. In our Electronics market he has concluded arrangement to impose a caretaker committee without the consent of the Board of Trustees, (BOT) as stipulated by our constitution.
"In a court judgement, Ifesi Anozie vs Donatus Obi, the court ruled that BOT takes charge in the market pending when a new executive is installed and also there is a pending Court case. Electronics market vs Access bank/AMCCOM, SPAD told the traders that the market has been sold off.
"He now wants to install those he said have plazas in the market without considering the interest of majority of the traders. Those he called plaza owners that came to him not more than two are real plaza owners but his interest is to enrich himself and damn the consequence.
"He now instigates crises in the markets in the name of instituting a caretaker committee. Those that pay as the highest bidder automatically are installed and that is the Ozomagala and other markets crises. Governor Soludo please come to our rescue by relinquishing him of his appointment", they pleaded.
In a swift reaction when contacted on phone, SPAD denied all the allegations leveled against him pointing out that nothing concerned him with the court judgment issue the traders have.
To buttress his point he said, "If you have issue with your wife what has it to do with me. If you have a judgement you should go and enforce it ok, it has nothing to do with me," SPAD maintained.
On the issue of installing caretaker committee he stated that, "My administration is to look into the issues in the market and put the people that have the capacity to protect the interest of the traders and equally carry out the government policy.
"So, I look at it, if it is people that own plaza that are able to deliver, on that I use them. People that don't have plazas but they have ears of majority of the traders I use them. So whether that person has plaza or not, is he not a trader.
"If we are going to make changes we look at the pedigree, the capacity of the people we are going to put. Let nobody just go around and be claiming that he is this or that and use it to come and tell us what to do. If they have a good suggestion they should bring forth and we look at it, if it is good we consider it," SPAD posited.
