A Coalition of Civil rights organizations working in Anambra State has raised alarm over alleged attempts by the sacked leaders of 30 markets in Anambra, to bribe their way back into the positions.
Governor Chukwuma Soludo had dissolved the market executives and directed that caretaker committees be appointed to oversee affairs until proper elections are conducted.
But the civil rights organizations are alleging that the sacked market leaders have besieged the state government house in Awka, to be allowed to continue the illegalities that they said held sway during the regime of former Governor Willie Obiano.
The Coalition include Int’l Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, the Southeast Zone of the Civil Liberties Organization and the Southeast Based Coalition of Human Rights and Democracy Organizations.
Speaking to TNC correspondent in Awka, Comrade Aloysius Attah who spoke on behalf of the coalition, reminded the sacked executives that no amount of meetings and bribery money can coerce the State Government to recant its stance on this.
“The Int’l Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law-Intersociety, the Southeast Zone of the Civil Liberties Organization-Southeast CLO and the Southeast Based Coalition of Human Rights and Democracy Organizations-SBCHROs; a coalition of over twenty rights and democracy groups are strongly advising the Markets and their imposed and ‘unopposed leaders’ affected by recent announcement by the Government of Anambra State led by Prof Charles Soludo dissolving them as part of the Government’s sanitization and democratization exercise in the State’s Markets, to prepare their handover, pack and go.
“We have been receiving reports since the State Government’s announcement, that bribery money in ‘Ghana-Must-Go bags and Brown Envelopes have been flying at different political quarters at the Awka Government House and top security formations by the affected Market traders, so as to coerce the State Government to reverse its announcement and allow for continuation of ‘business as usual’.
“Pieces of available information also have it that it was when the Ghana-Must-Go and Brown Envelopes failed to do their biddings that some of the affected traders turned around and threatened the State Government with a showdown/shutdown,” the coalition said.
They urged Governor Soludo to be resolute on the position, so as to bring back sanity into the commerce and industry sector in the state.
According to them, the sacked imposed and ‘unopposed leaders’ (chairmen) in the affected Markets shall be ineligible in the upcoming fresh popular and credible elections; likewise those in charge of the new ‘transition caretaker committees’ except if they properly resign six or three months to their new Market election.
We therefore boldly commend Governor Soludo and throw our full weight of support behind his informed, timely, correct and popular decision.
“The Gov also wisely acted on our letters of July and Oct 2021 and Jan (twice) 2022.
“We have also been in the forefront campaign for democratization and sanitization of Anambra Markets in the past five years or since 2017.
“It is our strong advice that no single Market and its imposed or ‘unopposed leaders’ in the State must be spared and the caretaker committees when put in place in each of the affected Markets must be must not exceed six months or one year and credible and all-inclusive market elections must be conducted with fresh and credible persons popularly elected into different elective positions in each of the affected Markets,” Attah advised.
The coalition further warned all the supervising Ministries or Departments or Agencies and their heads in the Soludo administration to desist from the virus of ‘Ghana-Must-Go and Brown Envelopes’ which have become the trademark of Anambra Market Leaders.
They said, “We have already spread our tentacles to the State Ministries of Trade, Commerce and Transport and Offices of the SSG and the Chief of Staff as well as the SA on Security, etc so as to monitor the possible movement of ‘Ghana-Must-Go and Brown Envelopes for purpose of perverting democratization and sanitization of Anambra Markets.
“The Committee in charge of constituting fresh Market caretaker committees is also under our strict watch and any bribe collected must be exposed and made refundable.
“Finally, it must be remembered that most or over 90% of the Anambra Markets are presently under bribe-induced caretaker committees or ‘unopposed leaders’ since 2018.
“By “unopposed market election”, it is a multimillion naira bribe induced selection arrangement by former Governor William Obiano Government of Anambra State and its Ministry of Trade, Commerce and Investment under Mr. Uchenna Okafor.
“Under the unpopular and corruptive arrangement, all members of the Government imposed caretaker committee of each of the affected Markets were returned to elective positions in makeshift ‘Markets ‘elections’ as “unopposed elected Market leaders”.
“Markets affected by this brazen and condemnable arrangement include Ogbunike Building Materials Market, Ogbaru Relief Market, Onitsha Bridgehead Central Market, Onitsha Tools and Allied Products Dealeri Market, Onitsha Ogbosisi by Niger Street Market, Onitsha Old Iron (Akpakara) Dealers Markets (1 & 2), Oba Electrical Market, Anambra State Market Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA); a supposedly Anambra Central Markets’ leadership; etc.
“On the other hand, ‘imposed Market leadership’ is the imposition of a caretaker committee with three or six months renewal bribe of at least N5m and limitless elongation of same at N5m per three or six months. Onitsha Ogbogwu (Drugs) Market, for instance, had been under ‘caretaker committee’ since July 23, 2020. The above are just to mention but a few.”
