Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha

Human rights groups, the International Society for Civil Liberties & Rule of Law (INTERSOCIETY) and Congress of Civil Society Group (CCSG) Anambra State chapter, have raised the alarm over plot by government agent to scuttle scheduled election of the Amalgamated Market Traders Association of Anambra state (AMATAS). 

The groups alleged that a commissioner was working hard to dissolve AMATAS leadership that is due to expire at the end of June to put impose caretaker leadership that would be loyal to him and do his bidding against the constitution and democratic process in the market.

The Chairman of Intersociety, Mr Emeka Umuagbalasi and Coordinator of CCSG Mr Obumneme Eze, a lawyer, in their separate petitions to Governor Willie Obiano warned that the planned caretaker arrangement would set AMATAS leadership and Anambra markets on fire.

“We are writing Your Excellency again in less than two weeks  through the state Commissioner for Commerce, Trade, Etcetera; Mr Christian Madubuko, calling for total discontinuation of planned imposition of government appointed Caretaker Committee to oversee the affairs of the AMATAS.

“We understand the four years tenure of the present AMATAS leadership, headed by Mr Okwudili Ezenwankwo; last elected in June 2015, is coming to end this month, being June 2019, with fresh election scheduled to hold on 5th of the same month.

“Yet despite the readiness and willingness of the contestants and the college of electors to submit themselves for the election or participate in same, forces loyal to or fronted by some political appointees or associates are reportedly bent on discontinuing with the electoral arrangements,  preferring a caretaker committee arrangement.

“Our petition had also called for institutionalization of democratic process in the entire markets in the state and total discontinuation of imposition of caretaker committees in the market associations which elected tenures have expired or are very close to expiration.

“Now, some selfish and self-serving individuals have gathered again, whose stock in trade is to foment trouble and make a living out of such situation, to hijack the leadership of AMATAS through the back door by getting the state government to impose a caretaker committee and have positioned themselves to be so appointed.

“In as much as it is their inalienable right to aspire to any leadership position once they are qualified, truncating a well-known democratic process in the emergence of leadership, because of selfish egoistic purpose, will do more harm than good.

“We know as a fact that AMATAS is an umbrella Market Association for all recognized markets in Anambra State. Presently, the mother Market Association operates with 72 registered markets and their associations. The 72 registered markets are drawn from central market associations with hundreds of mini-markets and their associations spread across the state.”

 

Rights sensitization: NCC storms Onitsha Main Market

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) recently stormed the Onitsha Main Market in Anambra State to educate the traders and telecom consumers on their rights on the usage of telecommunications network and the service providers.

The event attracted the major telecom service providers and consumers to the front of White House main market where issues on network services, unsolicited messages, customers rights, among other issues were highlighted.

The traders were enlightened on their rights to be informed, safety, choose, privacy, timely installation, restoration and repair service, quality service, rights of timely and responsive customer, accurate, clearly-worded and organized bill, action on disputed charges, to timely redress and right to complaints process, among others.

Ojo in a remark said that the exercise was to educate the telecom consumers and other stakeholders on contemporary issues generating interest in the industry, which also served as feedback mechanism for the commission in making regulatory interventions for consumers and the service providers.

He said that reason the commission decided to take the awareness campaign to markets was it discovered that 70 per cent of traders do not have basic information about their rights on telecom usage.

“We have been doing programmes in some other places, but we discovered that the traders in the market will hardly leave their shop to come out for some of our programmes that is why we brought the awareness programme to the market especially 622 code when you call 622, it’s a toll free line for you to lodge your complaint. There is some many innovation the commission has done and we want the consumers to know about it. Sim registration is important which every consumer must do through his or her telecom service provider.

“So, for us to capture the entire traders we had to go round the market with our vehicle with speaker enlightening them on their rights and other related issues on telecom. In some place we had canvassers who move round to ask and receive information or complaint direct from the consumers. We discovered that 70 per cent of traders don’t have basic information about the rights on telecom usage,” Ojo stated.

The Deputy Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, Alhaji Ismail Adedigba who represented Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, Mrs. Felicia Onwuegbuchulam in his remarks said that the programme was to enable the traders to know their rights and how to protect them.

The director also said that consumer information and education are identified by the Commission as one of the most cost effective mechanisms that provide and guarantee consumer empowerment and education, as well as serving as a proactive way of protecting consumers from making wrong choices.

The Chairman of Onitsha Main Market Chief Ikechukwu Ekwegbalu commended the NCC for bringing the consumers awareness campaign on their rights to the market.

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Anambra market leaders warn against diverting govt revenue 

… As Onitsha Bridgehead market elects new leaders

As the Onitsha Bridgehead Markets Association elects new leadership, the Anambra State Commissioner for Trade, Commerce, Markets and Wealth Creation, Dr Christian Madubuko has warned them against diversion of government revenue to their private pockets.

He warned that government would not hesitate to sack and prosecute any market leader caught indulging in revenue racketeering, noting that government needs revenue to provide people-oriented projects in the state.

Madubuko, who gave warning after swearing in the newly elected Bridgehead markets leaders led by Chief Sunday Obinze who was returned for second tenure, expressed shock on how market election turned out to be more serious than partisan election.

The commissioner said nobody should challenge the government, which is an institution that has power to deal with anybody that contravenes the law, rules and regulations in the state.

He reminded the elected leaders that their election should be all inclusive leadership and urged the defeated contestants to accept defeat in the spirit of sportsmanship or seek redress in the court if the outcome of the election was not favourable to them.

The newly elected Chairman of the market, Chief Obinze pledged to abide by the oath of office he swore to and to carry everybody along in order to move the market forward.

Those elected included Chief Sunday Obinze (Chairman), Mr Sunday Aniagboso (Vice Chairman 1), Mr Sylvester Muolokwu (Vice Chairman Vice Chairman 2), Mr Daniel Egbeigwe (Secretary), Mr. Michael Umezuruike  (Assistant Secretary), Mr Emmanuel Obunso (Financial Secretary) and Mr Sunday Okoye (Treasurer).

Others include, Mr Sunday Ogbo (PRO), Mrs Nkoli Onyeanwusi (Provost 1), Mr Sunday Onwuasoanya (Provost 2) and Mrs Ngozi Okolo (Welfare officer).

 

Dealers, politicians frustrating fight against fake drugs -PCN

The South-East Zonal Director of Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN) Mr. JohnBaptist Okafor has said that the council is working with the Federal Government to stop open drug marketing in the country as a way of curbing the sell of fake and adulterated drugs in the country.

He alleged that drug dealers in open markets connive with politicians to sabotage and frustrate the efforts to build centre for drug distribution for their own selfish interest to the detriment of the general public.

“The Minister of Health is working hard to ensure that a common drug centre is built across the zones to ensure that drug distribution is central and monitored by experts and relevant agencies. In some places they have started building the centre while it is yet to take off in some other places because of Nigerian factor. Even if a trader is in the open drug market before the centre is built, they can employ pharmacists to manage and regulate the drug distribution.

“The idea is being frustrated by the traders in the open market because they give politicians money, but no matter how they frustrate it we must succeed because the registrar of PSN is doing everything to ensure that a drug distribution centre is put in place of open drug market   in the regions in the country to regulate drug distribution. We are doing it because we don’t know who will take that fake drug and we are doing it with human face,” Okafor stated.

On the reason the importation, distribution thrive in Onitsha drug market Okafor said: “Nigerians are criminal minded and wicked to bring in fake drugs that will kill somebody in the quest for money. It is due to government inability to create job, provide dividend of democracy, youths are idle and they begin to indulge in criminalities.

“We are doing enforcement, we closed a lot of patent drug shops with fake drugs. We use army and police to arrest them, but after trying them in court they will still go back to continue with the business, so it is a very precarious situation, but the PCN has the recipe that it will follow to curb the problem especially now we are collaborating with NAFDAC and NDLEA. Our problem is the politicians, when their own person is involved they will bend the law. We are in a mess, but we are doing our best.

The Caretaker Chairman of Ogbogwu Drug International Market, Onitsha, Mr Anthony Ezioba denied that allusion that the Onitsha drug market is a major centre for the importation, adulteration and distribution of fake drugs.

He said that the drug market has a taskforce to checkmate fake and adulterated drugs in the market, saying that the taskforce’s aim was to sanitize the market of any fake and unwholesome product to the nearest minimum.

Ezioba said that NAFDAC normally visits the market on weekly basis to search for unregistered drugs or fake drugs based on the information they had which a times may not be true.