From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
Some traders at Drug Market Onitsha Bridgehead, Anambra State, yesterday, blocked the entrance gate of the market in protest of proposed relocation of the market to Oba in Idemili South Local Government Area of the state.
The protesters, numbering about 100 had inscriptions on placards such as “Drug traders are not slaves to anybody,” “we are not aware of any move to go to Oba land,” “Uche Eze is imposing Oba on us,” “OPPMDU says no to Oba,” among others.
But the chairman of the market, Mr. Uche Eze, in his reaction said there was no going back on the relocation of the market, saying he had got the approval of the state governor following the Federal Government policy against open drug market with deadline of 2017.
The leader of the protesters, Mr. Ugochukwu Nwosu, flanked by Prince Obele and Ifeanyi Ibemesi alleged that the chairman of the market, Mr. Uche Eze shut the market yesterday and took some members to Oba, the proposed site for the market for prayers and wondered why Eze and his executive should close the market without prior information.
Nwosu alleged that the chairman single-handedly imposed Oba land for the proposed market due to his vested interest and not in the interest of the traders.
town, he said they got land at Ogbunike which is accessible but Eze and his group rejected the place because their offer of some plots free was turned down by the owners of the land.
The traders called on governor Willie Obiano to intervene and prevail on Mr. Eze not to force the traders to relocate to a place that was not acceptable to the traders, stressing that they would prefer to remain at bridgehead market than to move to Oba proposed market.
The Chairman of the Drug market Mr. Eze denied all the allegations, saying that he set up land committee that visited the proposed areas and chose Oba because according to him other lands were in contention and in courts.
He said that the stakeholders and line chairmen of drug market were carried along in everything they do, saying that last week thursday he called a meeting of afore mentioned groups where they resolved to organize prayer yesterday at the proposed land for the market at Oba as part of their weekly prayers in the market which every body accepted.
Eze noted that the protest was organized by some disgruntled persons in the market who doesn’t want peace in the market since they were defeated in the last election in the market, saying that he would not be deterred in ensuring that the market remain the most peaceful market in the state.