Traders at Modebe Shopping Plaza in Onitsha, Anambra State, under the umbrella of the Ozomagala Building Materials Association, have staged a protest against what they described as imposed leadership and intimidation allegedly orchestrated by Chief Sir Everist Uba, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Markets.
The traders called on the state governor, Professor Charles Soludo, to intervene and rescue them from what they termed harassment by one of his aides.
The protest was led by the association’s former Chairman, Chief Ferdinand Ifezue, and the current elected chairman, chief Obiora Okoro, following the reported arrest of their leaders by security agents, an action they condemned as unacceptable.
The demonstrators converged on the Onitsha South Local Government Secretariat, displaying placards with inscriptions such as:Ozomagala is a Private Plaza, Not a Public Market, SPAD, Respect Court Orders, Stop Intimidating Us, We Say No to Imposed Leadership, Leadership is Not by Force, Modebe Shopping Plaza is Not a Public Market.
Speaking during the protest, Chief Ferdinand Ifezue stated that the traders had been operating peacefully at Modebe Shopping Plaza until Chief Everist Uba suddenly imposed a caretaker leadership on them, despite the fact that their elected tenure had not expired.
“Our greatest annoyance is that the tenure of our elected leadership has not elapsed.” “We trade in a private plaza rented from Modehe Enterprises and we are not under any public market structure.
“We explained this to SPAD, but he insisted we obey him. We rejected that. Modebe Enterprises also assured us they would intervene. Last week, our leaders were arrested with the help of security agents, which is unacceptable. We are pleading with Governor Soludo to rescue us. he said.
Chief Ifezue further revealed that the traders had signed a 50-year lease agreement with Modobe Enterprises, and emphasized that the Special Adviser should stop intimidating them and allow them to continue their self-funded renovations.
Supporting the claims, current Chairman Chief Obiora Okoro reiterated that the association is not registered under any public market category and accused SPAD of re-registering their association under a different name without their consent
“Our official name is Ozomagala Building Materials Association,” “But SPAD went and registered us as Ozomagana Building Materials Market. We were never consulted. He did that to force us into a public market system, which we are not part of. he said.
He further warned that Modebe Enterprises has threatened to evict them if they are coerced into becoming part of a public market structure.
“SPAD must obey the court, because Modebe Enterprises has already taken legal action against him.” Okoro declared.
Addressing the traders, the Mayor of Onitsha South Local Government Area, Chief Emeka Orji, represented by the local government Secretary, Hon. Paul Osuachala, commended the traders for conducting a peaceful protest and acknowledged the legitimacy of their concerns
“We are fully aware that Ozomagala is a private plaza and not a public market.
Even if it were public, SPAD still does not have the constitutional power to interfere. The local government is the only body legally empowered to regulate markets and parks,” Osuachala stated.
He cited both the Nigerian Constitution and the Anambra State Local Government Administration Law 2024 to back his claim.
Osuachala also praised the Modebe family for aligning with Governor Soludo’s Urban Regeneration Agenda. which aims to modernize Onitsha.
“If not for their willingness to key into this agenda, the plaza would have remained in its former state. We, the council, are supporting this transformation,” he said.
Onuachala assured the traders that their complaints had already been forwarded to SPAD and that the matter would also be brought to the attention of the State Attorney General.
“This is pure sabotage of Mr. Governor’s urban regeneration initiative, and we will not allow it. Be assured, we are with you. This is the kind of transformation the governor envisions for Onitsha,” he added.
Efforts to contact Chief Sir Everist Uba, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Markets, were unsuccessful. A phone call placed to him was not answered as he claimed to be in a meeting. A follow-up message was also left via chat, but he had not responded as of the time this report was filed.
