Anambra 2025 – Aggrieved Traders Demands For Appointment Of Commissioner For Trade, Markets …..Insisted On Not Voting For Soludo If Request Not Granted

By Nneka Okeke, Onitsha

Following the crisis rocking most of the markets in Anambra State, the aggrieved traders on Monday, demanded from Governor Charles Soludo, the immediate appointment of Commissioner for Trade and Markets, who must be a trader to substitute the Special Adviser, (SPAD), to Governor Soludo on Trade and Markets, Hon. Evaristus Uba, insisting that failure to do so they would not vote for Soludo’s second tenure.

The traders made the demand while reacting to a publication in the social media credited to SPAD where he stated that he has no business with a court order in a case involving two warring parties (Ifesi Anozie vs Donatus Obi) of (Onitsha International Electronics market)that are traders insisting that such statement portrays SPAD as one who is not interested in the affairs of the traders but what financial benefits he will get.

The aggrieved traders who spoke through Mr. Evans Obi, a trader at Onitsha main market, added that SPAD did not end at that as he went further to state that he has the power to install anybody he feels has the capacity to be a market leader without consulting market Board of Trustees, (BOT ), as stipulated by the market constitution.

“That is why he instigated scores of market crises and he now usurps the functions of the President General, PG, Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders Association, ASMATA, Chief Humphrey Anuna, as traders now storm his Awka office for one favour or the other.

“These traders who storm his office for favour instead of that of ASMATA PG spend huge sum as gratification and that is why we demand for the appointment of a Commissioner who must be a trader to take over the affairs of traders.

“It is not that the ASMATA PG is a saint but courtesy demands that traders should channel their complaints/ demands through ASMATA secretariat as their mouth piece and unifying body. I was at the ASMATA secretariat sometime last month and it looked like a ghost area as nothing is happening there. SPAD now presides and usurps the functions of the PG.

“It is at SPAD office in Awka that traders who meet up financial demands are installed and the ASMATA PG in turn inaugurates them as directed by SPAD and failure to do so means disobedient to a superior government functionary.

“We want a Commissioner, we heard a former commissioner was sacked for taking bribe from just a trader but about 500 traders were said to have made SPAD to smile to the bank without being sacked.

“The Ozomagana Building Materials market crisis was instigated by Uba because he sacked the incumbent executive and installed a caretaker committee, claiming that the chairman, Obiora, was owing stallage levy/taxes of the market. From records the chairman is not owing any debt and has payment receipts with him for one’s perusal.

“This is election time and Soludo should look for a capable hand as commissioner. There is a great difference between a commissioner and Special Adviser. The APGA National chairman, Sly Ezeokenwa, should assist the governor on this traders versus SPAD issue now that gubernatorial election is around the corner for we will not vote for Soludo if he doesn’t replace SPAD with a Commissioner who must be experienced on trading.

“He now instigates crises in the markets in the name of instituting a caretaker committee here and there and governor may not know this. His denial that he only installs capable hands is false rather traders who oil his palm,” he revealed.

According to SPAD when contacted earlier on allegations of instigating crises in the market by appointing caretaker committees and extortion he said, ” I look at it, if it is people that own plaza that are able to deliver as caretakers, on that I use them. People that don’t have plazas but they have ears of majority of the traders I use them. So whether that person has plaza or not, is he not a trader.

“If we are going to make changes we look at the pedigree, the capacity of the people we are going to put. Let nobody just go around and be claiming that he is this or that and use it to come and tell us what to do. If they have a good suggestion they should bring forth and we look at it, if it is good we consider it,” SPAD posited.