We Are Not Touts, Illegal Revenue Collectors – Nebuwa, Others

By Julie Sylvia, Onitsha

The National President of Heavy Duty Military Widows Association of Nigeria, Chief Uche Nebuwa, and his executives have maintained that they are not touts as allegedly labelled by the State chairman of Nigerian Legion, Chief Agbogu Benedict.

The duo made the vow in reaction to the complaint of Chief Agbogu to newsmen over publication on Armed Forces Remembrance Day where Chief Agbogu expressed dissatisfaction that his story was combined with association he described as touts and illegal association that its stock in trade is extortion.

His words, You don’t know they are touts, Why do they claim to be taking care of the military widows. That is from where they extort government.

“You journalists are part of them because you are aware that what they do is illegal .Obiano Why should they be collecting this money when they are not military people.”

“These are touts and you know it and you combined my report with theirs, they go about extorting people in the name of Military widows, are they military people,” Agbogu querried journalists.

In a swift reaction, Chief Nebuwa reiterated that he would report him to the Inspector General of Police, IGP and Military Widows Association, MIWA, for necessary action adding that his allegation against drivers and MIWA would not deter them from fighting for the betterment of MIWA and its dependants.

” He is even a retired Army Major, not even a Colonel, His own work is printing emblems and selling as IGR, that is why he abused military widows association that is a very big registered association. It is a very big defamation of character and we are consulting to sue him.

If not that I am working for Nigerian legion and military widows, I would have sued him without consultation. I don’t know how he called a national President and my members touts. The Armed Forces Rememberance Day was a celebration of fallen heroes, everybody is entitled to partake because they died for us. Why should he label us touts and illegal revenue collectors because our story was joined together by journalists. Is it not on the same issue of Armed Forces Remembrance Day that we talked on.

“Maybe because he didn’t die while in service that made him to start selling legion tickets and stickers.
There is an instruction from the National chairman of Nigerian Legion that they should not print again.

“That is why he is trying to fight Veronica Aluku, if not I don’t see reason why he should be fighting military widows’ heads, now he is calling for second tenure, I am now calling for his out of office. I will make sure I petition against him to IGP, let him come and explain how a National President is a tout, I heard that he is fighting the press, is he more than a governor,. I am pleading to all the Nigerian legion members, nobody should vote him for a second tenure.

” I owe him no apology, early this year I was in Abuja, making sure that everything moves for our fallen heroes and their dependants, he called me that I should come down from Abuja, I said no that I am a busy person, that I will not come down, that I will send my second, DSP Asuquo to him, he switched off his phone, when I gave asuquo his number, he barked at him, a whole retired man like him, abuse him and then called on me and started barking at me.

“I then told him that I will not work with his type of person, if he is the only Nigerian legion chairman, I will forget about it, and I will not tolerate him, they were warned not to sell any legion document and also I warned my drivers on the Federal Highway to be very careful, that if they are caught buying ticket that is not MIWA, that they will be dealth with,” Nebuwa stated.

In his own reaction, the Anambra state Chairman of Heavy Duty Military Widows Association, Awele Menkiti, stated that he was not a tout and never involved himself in illegal revenue collection as claimed by Chief Agbogu.

“I am not a tout, if I am a tout I would not have served under former Gov. Willie Obiano as Special Assistant on Youth Mobilisation, now serving as chairman, Heavy duty trucks under MIWA. I don’t have any business with Agbogu, if he has any problem with military widows, they should go and settle, he will not go for second tenure for that his office again,” he vowed.

Also contributing, Hon. Chukwunonso Unamba, Head of Operations of Heavy Duty and Military Widows and Allied Trucks, (articulated), disclosed that, “The way he (Agbogu) treated us on that Army Remembrance Day was embarrassing. People that are representing the wives of the fallen heroes, people who are fighting for the military widows and their dependants, he doesn’t deserve the second tenure.”

“I am the vice chairman of Youth Volunteers, youths that volunteered themselves to fight touts, I am also vice President of Ozalla Obosi. Agbogu looked at us and called us touts, MIWA will sue him, it is a slight on the head of MIWA. He treated us shoddily, looked down on us that day at Dr. Alex Ekwueme Square Awka,” he lamented.

Pic shows Nebuwa (on bike centre), flanked by Awele (left and Chukwunonso right)