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| The protesters |
By Chinwe Nwacha, Onitsha
Traders of Ifejirika Market Association, Onitsha, Anambra state took to the major streets in the early morning, protesting alleged multiple levy and seven years tenure elongation by their chairman, Chief Mike Odike, which resulted in his immediate sack and subsequent replacement by the President General, PG, Anambra Markets Amalgamated Traders' Association, ASMATA, Chief Humphrey Anuna and immediate substitution by the market stakeholders.
According to the aggrieved protesters, their embattled chairman whose tenure elapsed after four years, added extra three years which they said was illegal, coupled with alleged extortion of #64,000, #200,000, and more.
They revealed further that the chairman connived with revenue collectors of Onitsha South Local Government who they used as authority to extort them.
The protesters, some of who carried placards with the inscriptions, "Mike Odike is a bad leader, say no to levy collection by Mike Odike, Mike must go, his tenure has expired, no account for seven years of market fund and embezzlement of security fund, collection of N64,000 from market members with threats and intimidation, mike Odike must go," among others.
They added further that, "Mike extorts money from us and fails to remit same to government pause, including security levy and he must refund the money."
The Vice chairman and spokesperson of the protesters, Mr. Sunday Orjinze, stated that, "This protest is prompted by the placing of #64,000 demand notice per trader, by Onitsha South Local Government in our Market and also they started to lock up shops of defaulters, coupled with seven years tenure elongation by Odike.
"We asked them how did the #64,000 came about because Soludo said there should be no levy for now, they said it was the Chairman, Onitsha South Local Government Area, Chief Emeka Orji, that sent them, we called chairman and he ignored us and said we should go and pay the money.
"We pleaded to the levy collectors to unlock all the locked shops because we have paid the N32,000 government stallage levy government said we should pay.
"On the process to play safe, and say the truth, those tax collectors confessed that what is in their book is #12,000 and 32,000 as required by state government and not #64,000 the chairman, Odike, said we should pay.
"Immediately we called the Local Government area chairman, Chief Emeka Orji on phone and asked him again, if he is the one that sent these people, because the letter is from his office and he said that he is coming, and later said governor Soludo said no payment of levies for now.
"Two days after the incident, Mike Odike went to one of our market members, Mr Okechukwu Mmadu, with his cohorts and collected #300,000 from him and the money was remitted into one of his agent's bank account, Mr Samson Onu," he stated.
The alert of the N300,000 paid to Mr. Odike's agent account
Reacting also, Mr. Benjamin Ogu, the former Chairman of the Market/chairman of Board of Trustees, said "On the 9th of October, Mr Oguadinma told me that Mike is terrorising and warning him that he must pay #64,000, I called Mike but he did not pick my calls. Mike has been terrorising us in so many ways based on this #64,000 extortion.
"Then I moved to my shop and noticed that there are demand notices of #64,000 pasted everywhere in the market and I saw FIRS agents in uniform with the same demand notice letter, including a bag of bunch of keys, with Mike's agents locking people's shops with the keys and I saw some crying and I asked why the cry.
"I asked the FIRS personnel who sent them and they said Mike sent them. When I was told that Mike is in his office I proceeded to his office and on arrival met him with those agents discussing. In his presence, I asked those agents how much do they collect from traders, they said #12,000 and #32,000.
"I told them that our chairman, Odike, is collecting N64,000 from us and as for the #32,000 we have paid it but he has not given us our receipt," he revealed.
Also Mr. Okechukwu Mmadu, one of the traders stated that, "I transferred #300,000 into the account of Mr Mike Odike's agent, Mr. Samson Onu. The chairman was complaining and insisting that government pasted the demand notice but the money was being paid into their account".
In his contribution, Mr Samson Onu, one of Mr. Mike Odike's agent, admitted that the money was transferred into his account.
The embattled chairman, Mr. Mike Odike, in a swift reaction denied all allegations leveled against him, stating that when he saw the said demand notice of #64,000, and # 200,000 pasted in all the shops that he collected the phone numbers on the pasted papers and called the Special Adviser, S.A to chairman of Onitsha South council, Stanley, and told him that he has no right to collect money in his market.
The two demand notice letters
He said that Stanley in response said he heard that he, Odike, wants to collect levies and that he should not do it; that he, Stanley, will be the one to collect it, and also denied the #300,000 paid from Okechukwu Mmadu.
In his bid to restore peace in the already tensed situation, the President General, PG, Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders Association, ASMATA, Chief Humphrey Anuna, immediately dissolved the Mike Odike led executive of the market and set up a caretaker committee of stakeholders of the market. This arrangement will remain in place until the state government installs a formal caretaker.
He commended the traders for a peaceful protest even as he blamed them for taking the law into their hand by sacking the chairman, Odike, without the consent of ASMATA, as head of the traders in the state.
The president General stating, "I am surprised at what is happening in your market because your chairman, Odike, is one of the best leaders in ASMATA because whenever levies are mentioned he will be insisting and dragging that the money is too much for his market to pay since they are two small in their market".
He blamed the market leader for not reporting the payment to ASMATA Secretariat before collecting it, since he did not See ASMATA signature and seal on the paper and warned other market leaders present at the protest that governor had stopped all manners of levy collections in the markets.
