Traders Lament Oshimili South LGA Executive's High-Handedness, Imposition Of Union Leaders

* Sends An SOS Petition To The House Leader, OSLGA Legislative Arm, Cry For Intervention

* I Can't Stoop So Low To Join Issues With Traders.....Hon Sunny Obi

Okonta Emeka Okelum, ASABA

A new wave of crisis had recently bedeviled the executive leadership of Oshimili South Council leadership against the traders at one of the markets within the council area.

As contained in a petition addressed to the house leader, legislative arm of the council, and made available to Asaba Post News Wire, one of the self defined patriotic and progressive association 'Confidence Group' had raised their voices against what they termed undemocratic, anti human and human right infringement against their rights as citizens of Nigeria.

The letter jointly signed by Onyemaechi Okeibunor and Pst Kendra Udensi, as the group's chairman and secretary respectively, dated 10th October, 2018, with the subject ' A Grand Design By Officials Of Oshimili South LG Council To Disrupt The Peace In Ogbeogonogo Market And Impose Leadership Upon The Traders, contained some five points charges against the council's executive leadership.

The correspondence expressly condemned the antics of the care taker committee instituted by the council boss to oversee the market union leadership after the expiration of Chief Nwaobodo led executive, which the market's stakeholders cried against over executive high handedness and unnecessary elongation of tenure.

Confidence group's appeal to the legislative arm lamented sins and antics committed against unsuspecting traders by the care taker committee members, who includes, Hon Sunny Obi Nwaose, Vice Chairman; Mr Bonny Akaeze, Secretary; Barr (Mrs) C.E Okolo, Member; Mr Peter Onwuka, Member; Mr Frank Nnama, Member; Mr Andy Omohieme and Mr Anthony Moweta; as Members.

Chief amongst the charges filed against the care taker committee include first, the committee members turning into what they termed an army of occupation, refusing to conduct an election as was expected of them by the council boss and other stakeholders in the market.

The confidence group's second onslaught at the care taker committee was a charge of molestation, harassment, intimidation, threats, assualts, forceful entry, throwing traders wares off their shops and trading places with the aids of thugs, who claim to be acting with the authority of the council's executive.

A third arsenal thrown the way of the care taker committee was that the care taker committee was highly involved in illegal allocation of spaces and walkways to so many squatters, thereby making trading miserable in the market.

The fourth charge against the care taker committee maintained that the committee was not sincere with the issues of commencing actions towards conducting an election for the traders, rather they are buying time to enable them inflict more injuries and pain on poor traders.

Finally, confidence group pointed out that the care taker committee members in response to the traders reactions towards their antics are perfecting a secret plan to impose a surrogate leadership upon the traders contrary to their well accepted and all inclusive choice of leadership by all market stakeholders.

This move if perfected, hatched and served the traders as the committee is intending to dish out, believe us, the traders will resist it, the confidence group maintained in their correspondence to the house leader, Oshimili south legislative arm.

An issue which the confidence group found not palatable was an idea they accused the care taker committee of advancing, which they shared was that only those who will qualify to be voted for and vote in the upcoming market election, shall be traders who keyed into the Delta State Government Identifiable GroupTax, this they reason is a conscious ploy at disenfranchising some poor traders to enable them perfect their anti traders plans and schemes, the confidence group lamented.

Before going to press, our reporter engaged Hon Sunny Nwose Obi, Executive Vice Chairman, Oshimili South LGA and leader of the care taker committee, who shared his views and reactions.

Upon assumption as a committee, we met a complete disorganized market union leadership structure, the market stakeholders were fractured, no peace and trust existed amongst stakeholders, no market leadership constitution ever existed, no atmosphere for peaceful leadership transition was possible.

My brother, you can attest that no care taker committee anywhere in the world can work wonders in this kind of atmosphere, as we had a lot of issues to address before election matters will be entertained, there are a lot of troubled nerves and boiling quarters to be engaged and their positions listened to and considered too, Hon Obi reasoned with our reporter.

Our committee's first line of engagement was to set up an internal structure to first investigate the root causes of the market's many problems, help the market stakeholders prepare a functional market leadership constitution that will guide the incoming market union executives after their elections.

Findings from our committee's investigation was money issues as the root causes of the market's leadership crisis, there were many and counter allegations of sharp practices from the previous market leaders, trust and confidence was at its zero level within the market upon our committee's assumption of duty, today, we had changed the market's leadership narrative, the care taker committee leader emphasized.

Hon Obi with a wave of the hand, out rightly wrote off those crusading the confidence group agitations as traders who had lost focus with the very purpose for which they in the first place found themselves in the market, they are just hopelessly moving from one point to the other, doing no trading but seeking opportunities to cause and sustain trouble making issues.

As of today and by the grace of God, am the executive vice chairman of Oshimili South LGA and having accepted the delegated task of leading the care taker committee, it is my expected responsibility to seek proactive means of making right all loose ends, I took note of upon assuming office.

In the point of fact, my roles are never that of joining issues with traders in the market, more so those who instead of engaging in their trade, are busy seeking trouble making opportunities, Hon Obi stressed.
On election related issues, Hon Obi affirmed that soon the election will be conducted, he also shared that there was an early agreed stakeholder's position on election matters, where all agreed that the market election will be put on hold until all political parties are done with their party primary elections, so now, all political parties are done with their party primary elections, so soon a time table will be rolled out for Ogbeogonogo market election.

Hon Obi dismissed as false allegations, unfounded, malicious, callous as well as unnecessary cheap blackmail against the council's executive leadership and urge all traders to disregard their speculative attempts to discredit the council's pro people committed leadership.

Finally, on the use of Delta State Government Identifiable Group Tax as means of determining who qualifies to vote and be voted for, Hon Sunny Obi, took a firm affirmative position on the matter.
What is wrong in taxation, is tax payment not a measure of good citizenship, in Nigeria do those who seek to contest elections not asked to produce evidence of tax payment.
Mind you the tax policy the confidence group are fighting is one of the SMART Initiatives of our amiable Smart working governor.
Hon Obi pointed out that by reason of this move of the confidence group, it is evident that they are anti government elements, who he pointed out are going everywhere championing and fighting all laudable pro people initiatives of the Gov Okowa led administration.
How do one intend to become market union leader in this state and do not want to key into the SMART visions of the state government.
No matter how you look at it, it is a very worthy idea to use the State's identifiable group tax registration as a means of determining who can vote and be voted for.
To the best of my knowledge, the leadership of confidence group are pure anti government policy agitators, Hon Sunny Obi said.
SOURCE: ASABA Post News WIRE (ONLINE)