By Uzo Ugwunze
More reactions have continued to inundate our newsroom in support of the Special Adviser to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Trade and Markets, (SPAD), Hon. Evarist Uba, and President General, PG, Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders’ Association, ASMATA, with the latest coming from the New Market Road/Sokoto and Haruna market chairmen, Chief Emeka Mbachu, and Emmanuel Idoko respectively.
The two chairmen, Friday, urged Governor Soludo not to listen to the call by some disgruntled traders to sack the ASMATA PG and SPAD, adding that the SPAD and PG brought the sanity and decorum now being enjoyed in all the markets in the state and also made frantic effort that has assisted in the increase of the market revenue base in the state.
According to Mbachu, “As regards what I read in internet concerning Chief Humphrey Anuna, ASMATA PG and Hon. Evarist Uba, SPAD that Governor will sack them. I am totally against anybody in the ASMATA or market saying such a thing.
“These are group of people that embezzled government money and remit only #400 million but ASMATA PG and SPAD increased it to #4.5billion, much gap. what they want is to be reinstated to continue from where they stopped in diverting government revenue to their private pocket.
“The ASMATA PG, and SPAD Wii continue to remain in their seats untill Soludo is done with his two tenures because he gave the traders a better welfare than the successive administrations.
“During the administration of former ASMATA PG, Chief Okwudili Nwankwo (Ewepudike), this kind of thing did not happen. The PG always tell us to do the right thing and then forget blackmail like this publication that is aimed at accusing them for nothing than that the present market leadership sacked those diverting government revenue.
“Soludo works with selfless people who are interested in moving the State forward like PG and SPAD and no amount of black mail and call for their removal will deter them from doing the work they are sent by Soludo to do,” Mbachu posited.
Reacting, the Haruna market chairman, Emmanuel Idoko, stated that, “I give vote of confidence on PG and SPAD,. How I wish it is Hon Madubuko, former Commissioner for Trade and Market that is in that position, everybody will get it hot because he is a no nonsense man.
People will continue to criticize you once you are in office, you must have enemy.
“Another thing I am saying is that any market leader that will be a barrier to this partnership with governor let the person be removed even if it is myself because we Wii not toy with this second tenure bid of Soludo, we have to deliver him for second tenure to complete what he has embarked upon,” he added further.
” ASMATA PG did a wonderful campaign for Soludo, even there were some places he went to campaign that they threw satchet water at him, such as Head Bridge, I was there, now that he is in power, I mean ASMATA PG, people are talking rubbish.
“Since PG and SPAD were appointed peace has been restored in all markets and we have meetings weekly on how to move the markets forward., All PG is interested in is to restore peace, get government revenue and remit to government treasury, collect his three per cent but most people are finding it difficult to pay the three per cen commission, to ASMATA” he hinted.