Group meets Igbo traders in town hall meeting

Emeka Ibemere

Recently, a town hall meeting convened by the National Coordinator of the Goodluck Good Governance Group, G4, Otunba Femi Ajayi, Executive Secretary, Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) with Igbo traders in Lagos State, which was meant to rationalise the vital role of traders and other informal sector of Nigerian economy in the policy formulation of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, as he tries to extend his hand of transformation agenda to the informal sector later turned to a venue of the traders’ lamentations. It was Saturday 14 February, 2014. The venue was the prestigious Rock View Hotel Apapa, Lagos State.

Several trade union groups of Igbo extraction who gathered at the summit used the opportunity to share their plights with the government representatives.  

The traders in Lagos State cried over injustices, harassment, intimidation, closing of markets without seeking their permission at every flimsy excuses, double taxation and other sundry issues by the administration of the current APC government of Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola. They also asked their august visitor, to relate their plights to the Presidency.

The traders also used the occasion to request audience from President Goodluck Jonathan for a round table meeting, where they planned to tell the president that the informal sector has been neglected in the scheme of things in terms of economic policies.

Chief Mrs Chinwe Dike, the mobilizer and convener of the town hall meeting said the meeting become necessary because of the season in question; adding that for years, traders in Lagos State have been used and dumped, especially during election periods and warned that it shall never happened again.

She narrated how her house was demolished by the Lagos State government Inspite of her contribution in mobilizing

Igbo traders during last election and ensuring that the then Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, won the election but paid her back by demolishing her house. The widow explained that all her pleading to Governor Fashola and other leaders of the party to pay her compensation fall on deaf ears.

Mrs Dike said now they are wooing Igbo traders again for their votes, because election is around the corner and asked Igbo traders to be wise this time around. According to her, 99.99 percent of traders in Lagos State are Igbos and pledge their support to the President. Several Igbo traders’ group from all the 20 local government Areas in Lagos State, who were present at the meeting spoke their minds which hinges on the same double taxation, harassments, intimidation, closure of markets at random and under flimsy excuses, and extortions.

Chairman of the occasion, Engineer Ben Akah, said Igbo traders have no alternative candidate in this year’s election other than President Goodluck Jonathan adding that the President has performed and deserved second term. According to him, President doesn’t play to the gallery by show casing his achievements and that was why people are ignorant of his great achievements.

Akah explained that because the fact that the military hasn’t been equipped in the last 20 years, due to frequent coups that characterises the military era in Nigerian governance, that that was why they couldn’t have weapons to fight Boko Haram.

The Chairman disclosed that the several military leaders failed to equip the soldiers because of fear of coups and by so doing neglected the Nigerian Army. He said Jonathan is trying to revive the years of neglect in the army. 

Traders from Alaba International Market, Ojo, traders of Trade Fair Complex, Ladipo Markets, Balogun, Tedosho Market, and other markets demonstrated their resolve to stop what they referred to as “use and dump system of Lagos State” on them during elections and resolve to take a stand during the election.

Chairman of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo, Ikeja sector, Sir Chief Virginus Odinaka, said the trading sector has been neglected. According to him, Igbos have contributed so much both in Lagos State and in Nigeria but receives little and non recognition.

According to him, Igbo trading sector in Lagos State controls millions of voters in Lagos and Nigeria, and promised to give President Goodluck Jonathan and People’s Democratic Party, PDP, their block vote.

Nnamdi Nwaigwe, who doubled as the President of Coalition of Traders and Market Association of Igbos in Commerce, decried the double taxation, lack of infrastructural facilities in the markets, creating conducive operating system for foreign businessmen to the neglect of local investors and closing markets during burials, parties and other sundry things that are not good.

He said governments should look into all these things and stop encouraging capital flights where foreign companies enjoy enabling enviroment and takes their proceeds to their foreign countries.

According to Nwaigwe, traders are critical sector in the economy and needs recognition like ordinary Nollywood sector was recognised.

On the postponement of the election, the traders said INEC would have disenfranchised many of their members and other Nigerians. They said the extension was right because it would give them time to see the candidates and that 85percent of traders must have their PVC before the election.

The traders promise to shut market in Lagos state, any day the President wants to come and meet them. The traders said they are monitoring their members on the collection of their PVC and have open register for them to in checking who have not collected his or her PVC, because they are serious this time. They call on all Igbo traders in Lagos State to go for their PVC and make sure they voted. According to the traders, they need to be involved in being part of the economy because they are in charge of informal sector.

Responding, Femi Ajayi, Executive Secretary, Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) and the Convener, Goodluck Good Governance Group (G4), sympathised with the traders over the humiliation they are going through and asked them to have faith in the PDP and President Goodluck Jonathan’s candidature adding that with PDP at the centre and at the Lagos State, their lamentation is near to an end. He condemned the multiple taxations, harassments, intimidation of non-indigene practices, and discriminations when it comes to the sharing of state welfare. He condemned the deportation of Nigerian citizens to their states and sees it as height of political injustice.

“They know law very well and they distinguish law and justice. They know more about the law but do not know about justice. We have rulers in Lagos State and not leaders because they lack consultation”, Ajayi stated. “Deportation of Igbos in Nigeria city is callous and insensitivity”.

According to him, they go about arresting hawkers, commercial motorcycle operators, burn their motorcycles in a democratic society, double taxing of poor market women without providing markets and alternatives and yet claim that they are for the people. APC government in Lagos State is taking it for granted and there is no consideration for the plight of the residents here.

On President Goodluck Jonathan, Ajayi said the President is a trusted man and a man who always fulfil his promises. According to him, the Presidents perceived weakness was because he doesn’t violate the constitution to arrest people indiscriminately or go against his critics with the EFCC and police.

He said that President Goodluck has performed greatly in Agriculture, Railway, power sector roads, health care, education, industrialisation, youth empowerment and fighting corruption. He added that the President has being proactive in fighting corruption. He explained that fertilizers to farmers are evenly distributed by private sector and that power sector has been privatised for effective production. He added that power sector initiative is being sabotaged by some people and Boko Haram.  

The ex- National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Director General and Secretary explained that President Goodluck reforms is generating good fruit in that the President is turning private sector into mainstream because its profit orientated adding that governance shouldn’t been seen as charitable organisation. According to him, ‘born to rule syndrome’ is the problem of the country. He reminded his audience that the President is being hated not because he hasn’t performed but because of where he comes from. Ajayi told the traders that Jonathan’s effort at mainstreaming the private sector should be encouraged with their votes because traders was going to benefit when private sector becomes the mainstream of Nigerian economy, because they are private sector initiative.

“To boast commerce, trade, industry and Agriculture and turn them into mainstream sector, traders must be involved and that is what the President is doing and people aren’t happy”, Ajayi said.

“If weakness of the President means respect, humility, wide consultation, following the rule of law and due process, allowing the spirit of separation of powers to run unhindered, then he is weak but if not, he is democrats’ democrat”. He said there is no alternative to Jonathan and that Buhari is one thousand years behind the President.

Ajayi tasked traders in Lagos State to go out and preach Goodluck Jonathan to their neighbours and try to convince them on why they should vote for Jonathan.

Ajayi also urged the traders to collect their PVC, for according to him, the PVC is the power for them to make a difference in the election and asked them to obtain it arguing that without it, they have disenfranchised themselves to elect the leader they want.

Ajayi said as the Presidential Election Campaign rallies continue, that Nigerians would be doing the incumbent President great injustice if they urge the electorate to re-elect him based on sentiments.

“While it is tempting to ask people to re-elect him because, he is an easy-going, likeable and humble gentleman or on the basis of his coming from a region that produces Nigeria’s black gold (oil revenue), this election should not be run on sentiments. Mr President should be judged strictly on his track record of achievements since he became the country’s leader,” Ajayi stated.

“Goodluck Jonathan has proved to be a role model for democracy and good governance since he became President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. His respect for and upholding of human rights and fundamental freedoms have been unprecedented among Nigerian’s heads of state. He has shown deference for the rule of law, respect for court judgements and facilitated free and fair elections”.

According to him, aside from intangible but crucial benefits of democracy, Ajayi is of the hope that the President had made giant strides in sustainable development as visible in regular and stable fuel supply, power sector reforms, and transport sector transformation, road construction and railway rehabilitation and agricultural revolution. “I want to draw the attention of what President Jonathan has done towards youth empowerment and employment since he assumed leadership,” PTDF boss explained.

“Through making Petroleum Technology Development Fund more functional, efficient and cost-effective, Mr President has been able to accelerate youth empowerment in the country”.

Ajayi called on all Nigerians to believe in the promises and the ‘good works’ of the president and vote massively for him in the next presidential election.

However, Ajayi who urged the Igbo traders to sustain the drive to see the party through in the next election, and called them to focus on what President Jonathan has done towards youth empowerment and employment since he assumed the presidency in year 2011.

“The federal government has equally trained 1,700 graduates in Engineering Design programme, 15 graduates in Drilling Engineering in  France, as well as 1, 220 under the Welding Trading Certification Programme in collaboration with International Institute of Welding (IIW) in order to become certified welder qualified anywhere in the world.” The high point of the meeting was the showcasing of PVC by traders who have collected theirs and chanting of the traders’ solidarity songs.

Some leaders of the traders present at the meeting were Eze Ngozi Ibekwe, Chief Mrs Chinwe Dike, Chief Ben Aka, Charles Obi, Chris Okpala, Chief Sir Nnamdi Nwaigwe, Eze Dr John Nwosu, Ebere Nnabuife, Chief Felix Ugbojiak, and Chief Virginus Odinaka. Others are Ikechukwu Animalu and Chief Chukwu Emeka Okolie.