Market Closure : Odera Market Traders Send SOS To Anamnbra State Govt , Holds Peaceful Demonstration

Traders at the Odera Market have sent a Save our Soul message to Anambra state government to save them from the leadership of the market whom they said has consistently subjected them to hardship due to non-remittance of their levies to government coffers.

The traders made this known yesterday while reacting to the closure of the market by government officials as a result of non-payment of government taxes and levies.

when ABS arrived Oderaa market, the entrance of the market was under lock with all the shops in the market also locked.

Traders at the market were seen hanging around the market environment looking moody.

Speaking on the development, a trader at the market Chief Ikechukwu Ugwoke recalled that they had the same experience in February this year when they discovered that they could not gain entrance because the entrance was locked.

He said that the incident has been reoccurring for the past eleven years and made it clear that they have been paying all dues to the leadership of the market who he alleged did not remitting the money to the government.

Chief Ugwuoke called on Anambra state government to come to their aid and help institute another leadership to enthrone peace and stability.

In their separate speeches, a former Chairman of the market Chief Stephen Ijeoma and the Secretary of the market Mr Emeka Nwagbara, wondered why someone who has no shop inside the market will be made Chairman of the market noting that chairmen of markets should be members of same market so as to know and feel the plight of the traders while implementing policies.

They said that it is disheartening that after collecting the levies, the chairman did not remit same to government, thereby subjecting them to hardship and called on government to look into the market and save them from the experience.

Meanwhile, efforts to reach the chairman proved abortive as according to the traders, all avenues to get to him failed.

The traders later moved to Anambra state Government House in a peaceful demonstration to register their grievances directly to the government.