Ogbogonogo Market Traders Election:Matters Arising

Okonta Emeka Okelum, Asaba, Delta State

Ill and evil, they say persists in the land when both good and well meaning folks keep quiet, fearfully fold their arms and embark on zero actions.

At Asaba post news wire, we committ to always champion Ani Ahaba issues, so are other grassroots citizens driven organisations we floated.

Yes, the Ogbogonogo Market Traders Elections had come and gone, boldly against all odds, we at Asaba post news wire took a position.

The position we took and the online advocacy attracted the least expected response from our readership.

We felt truly bad, at first it was as if we acted stupidly or attempted cooking up issues.

Worst of all that greeted our actions were the various acts of treacherous response our well researched and documented work received from many Pro-Asaba social media platforms.
It was sadly unfortunate that about 50% of the major Pro-Asaba social media platforms consciously deleted our work from their pages and online spaces.

Too Sadly enough today, I sat at a meeting with the Vice president general of the Asaba Development Union(ADU), Ogbueshi Anthony Efianya, and I asked him why he has not responded to our work on the ADU Facebook page, to my surprise he told me nothing like such work was on the page, knowing fully well that he is the page's administrator and that I personally posted the work on the page, I was really sad.

How could the leadership of the ADU that was some what visibly not pleasant with the outcome of the market elections and a man that personally registered his displeasure over the out right disregard of the Oshimili South Council boss to the instructions of Asaba palace chiefs before the commencement of the said elections, resorted to such treacherous act of deleting our online media house publications, about an issue that is fundamentally an Ani Ahaba issue and one that pertains to the very core traditional values of the land.

We never hesitated at registering our displeasure at the pre and post issues about the market elections.

The market is a traditional and culturally relevant piece to the Asaba Community, the market is to a great extent gender sensitive space, mainly a women dominated world, traditionally, the community handed over the leadership of the market to women ( Ndi Otu Omu).

That the last Ogbogonogo market election committee erred greatly at pitching a non indegene male against a female indigenous trader, and so sadly against the earlier palace chiefs directives, is a communal slap to bad to enjoy any volume of silence.

That the newly decorated and installed Omu of Asaba did not fail the land at the discharge of her traditional responsibilities is but attempting to be needlessly economical with the truth.

Some Asaba Community stakeholders we engaged shared that the blame should not be wholly leveled at the Omu, as she was cornered off the market Traders Elections planning process by the local government council management.

Yet, other stakeholders were of the view that as the overall traditional market Traders leader and the apex leader of all women groups and organisations in the land, it would had being more loyal and patriotic of her to had vehemently refused the time table of the arranged market Traders Elections, they reasoned that her resistance would have further endeared her leadership to the land and people of Asaba.

Our choice to do this piece as a continuation of the last work on this issue stems on the premise that the information we got later today about the inauguration of the Ogbogonogo Market Traders Executives at the Oshimili South Council today greatly alarmed us and left us wondering at what truly is happening.

At last, we at, Asaba Post News Wire, are happy that it really pays to do purposeful pro-community advocacy and activism.

But still far beyond this ecstacy and some feelings of achievement, is yet an unaddressed issue we took note of, about the inauguration ceremony.

We were reliably informed that the Asaba Woman who contested against the non indegene male but lost seat of the market leadership to the male non indegene was surprisingly sworn in as an executive of the market.

An illegality, one will easily point out, of a truth, as some Asaba based community activists shared with us.

Of what practical need or purpose does it serve to have the Asaba woman sworn in into an office prior to the election, was not a gazetted office according to the market Traders constitution.

One of my highly cherished media work mentor had always taught me to ask the question 'why'.
Our search to unearth the reasons behind the creation of an unexisting office and consequent swearing into office of a woman who lost to another led to a well full of possible options and permutations.

Was the Oshimili South Council boss attempting to right past wrongs leveled at Asaba palace chiefs.

Some school of thoughts beleived the local government council is strategically seeking to appease the Asaba traditional community who ego and pride had being bruised.

Or could it be that the traditional pride of place an average Asaba woman ought to command at the Ogbogonogo Market has suddenly dawned upon all actors who earlier had attempted at robbing the Ani Ahaba woman her pride of place at the very market her progenitors traded at and maintained same leadership.

Can we safely say that out of the blues the spirit of beejin conference and the ever active gender mainstreaming advocacy suddenly over shadowed the whole consciousness of all major actors, in favor of the rightful gender leadership to emerge.

Too many more possibilities abound that could be postulated as to the reason why today at the inauguration ceremony the office of a woman leader was created for the Ani Ahaba woman who lost to a non indegene male counterpart.

With the current trend eventually registered, we congratulate the ever vibrant spirit of Ada Ani Ahaba who till now had been our brave and bold amazon.

We appeal to her to never give sleeping eyes to issues that may militate against the poor trading women population at the market and as the market's woman leader to seek out vital means to profit and engage more female traders into positive economic and social cultural engagement that will add values to the status as family home makers and community development actors.

Indeed, it pays to actively engage the system and objectively maintain quality reportage.

We at, Asaba Post News Wire, whole heartedly thank all Ani Ahaba well wishers who silently shared our position on the Ogbogonogo Market Traders Elections and chose subtle and creative means at engaging with the leadership of the Oshimili South Council authority.

Together and with proactive spirits we will create and enjoy the world we desire, either through our actions or inactions.

Ani Ahaba has a greater and brighter future, but to a great extent the option to make it so is entirely up to me and you.