Fides Media Living the Faith
By Chioma Ndife
The Chairman of Ose Okwodu Traders’ Union in Onitsha, Anambra State, Hon Anthony Onwueteaka, has commended the Anambra State Government led by Professor Chukwuma Soludo for suspending all revenue contracts operating in the parks, markets and roads till further notice.
Fielding questions from newsmen in his office, Hon. Onwueteaka hinted that the directives of the Anambra State Government were very good, clear and a welcome development, pointing that touts had done more harm than good to the state, even as he stressed that touting activities were nothing to harbour in any state that needed to move forward..
‘I commend Professor Soludo for his brilliant initiatives. At least, Onitsha business activities can now boom again like before. And this is exactly the major reasons why we traders clamoured and endorsed Soludo, even before primary election because we knew he had a solution for Anambra State. So, traders supported the decision of Governor Soludo and we will continue to support him,’ he noted.
Onwueteaka further disclosed that Ose Market now enjoyed conductive business atmosphere, revealing that touts and fake revenue agents had vacated the market following the ban on illegal tolls. He said his market taskforce and security had also begun monitoring to ensure that no trader paid money and no tout operated again in their market.
‘We are complying very well in check mating the activities of touting and for now there is nothing like that in Ose Okwodu Market and traders are happy,’ he said.
He however solicited the new administration in the state to urgently rescue them by fixing the damaged gutter connecting Old Market Road and Emejuru Street, Ose Okwodu Junction, which, he said, was the only access road for traders to bring in their wares inside the market.
The trade union leader and APGA chieftain noted that traders campaigned extensively for the election of the former Governor of Central Bank (CBN), saying that they knew that he would reposition the socio-economic and political development of the state and advised him never to listen to side talk, which, he said, was by the opposition who did not vote for him but now clustering him around.