Anambra: Oppositions accuse Gov. Soludo of imposing chairman on Onitsha Main Market traders

By Cyprian Ebele, Onitsha

Desperate to truncate the infrastructural development, peace and increase in the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, of the popular Onitsha Main Market, Anambra State, oppositions to Governor Charles Soludo, have accused the governor of imposing the market chairman, Innocent Ezeoha, on the traders.

Stakeholders and traders in the market made this disclosure against the backdrop of allegations in the social media platform that Ezeoha, among other things plans to construct plazas at the Johnson Street in the market, an allegation the Chairman had earlier denied and described as a figment of their own imagination.

They accused the oppositions of being desperate to truncate the good infrastructural development in the market, peace that is restored and the increased IGR base of the market being experienced because the effort of the incumbent chairman, Ezeoha, called ‘Ezennia’, by his admirers.

Exonerating Ezeoha, Soludo and Evarist Uba, Special Adviser to Soludo on Markets and Trade from the allegations, the traders through a line chairman, Mr. Chijioke Obi, reiterated that the oppositions are desperate to frustrate the good works of the market chairman and urged them to wait for their time.

They said the oppositions would never see anything good on the ongoing infrastructure transformation exercise in the state being done by Governor Soludo as enemies of progress.

“I have stayed in Onitsha Main Market since 1983 and have witnessed successive leaders but none of them was transparent and truthful like Ezeoha, if Ezeoha is fraudulent as the online medium, AIF Media claimed, we, the traders would have raised alarm.

” Those who fabricated the report against Ezeoha want to truncate the peaceful atmosphere of the market. They purposely want to tarnish his image unnecessarily but traders will not agree because Ezeoha is working. His administration has attracted a lot of developments in the market. As you can see, the Market is cool and peaceful

” As a line Chairman, there is nothing like plotting to annex Johnson street so as to build a plaza by Ezeoha’s administration.He who the cap fits let him wear it” he said.

Continuing he said: “There is nothing like imposing the Caretaker Chairman on the traders. In fact, some people are very bad, imagine threatening not to return Soludo, the only Governor who provided access roads to Onitsha Main Market. But not knowing that traders have concluded that Soludo’s second tenure is sacrosanct”

” I think it is when a leader is not doing well that people will be calling for his removal. So, I have not seen evil or offence Ezeoha committed that would warrant his removal as the Caretaker Committee Chairman”, he posited.

Also a line Chairman and one of the Main Market stakeholders, Mazi Chike Okeke, said: “When the enemy is speaking, you will know. It is only a blind man that you can convince that there is no oil in the soup. Ezeoha’s achievements are clear and visible. I am a titled man. What I am telling you is nothing but the truth.

“Before the regime of Ezeoha, Bright Street was no go area in terms of wastes, yet we were paying sanitation levy while somebody was pocketing it. But immediately Ezeoha became the Chairman, he evacuated all the heaps of waste at Bright street and Main Market vicinity” he disclosed.

Fielding questions from newsmen, Ezeoha wondered how some people would just decide to tarnish people’s image, pointing out that the report against him was totally false and unfounded.

He recalled that he was appointed as the Main Market Caretaker Chairman about two years and six months ago and has attracted a lot of achievements which include; decongestion of roads inside and outside the market .

He also introduced automatic fire extinguisher, waste bin in all lines, stopped illegal revenue collection, introduced weekly sanitation and inspection of drainage channels, restructured the mode of IGR payment in the Market which made the Market to emerge first in the revenue generation in all the markets in the State.

Ezeoha equally explained that they wanted to renovate the white House corporate office of the market as recommended by an international team of visitors who visited them some months ago.

“But some of my executives who wanted to enrich themselves tried to inflate the amount for the job so that they will share among themselves, a plot I resisted.

Meanwhile, some other traders in the market who spoke to newsmen included; Mr. Ambrose Okorie, Alfred Okeke, Lady Ngozi Ndudi, and Evangelist Walter Maduabuchi and they also confirmed that Ezeoha has transformed Main Market and that they are enjoying his leadership.

They added that Ezeoha never imposed any levy or intended to levy them except normal IGR which they pay to the state Government.