Crisis is brewing between the leadership of Ugwuagba Obosi Electrical Market in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State and some traders following a two-week notice issued by the market chairman to demolish a collapsing three-storey security tower.
Concerns have been raised in the market over the dangers posed by the tower which prompted the petitioning of the Anambra State Urban Development Board, by one of the traders, Chekwube Nwankwo, (a.k.a. Okolobia Jesus).
Irked by the petition Nwankwo wrote to the ASUDEB, the Chairman of the market, Chief John Bosco Onunkwo, issued a two-week ultimatum for the pulling down of the structure, a development that did not go down well with Nwankwo and some other traders.
While addressing the traders in the market on Thursday, Onunkwo, who admitted that the controversial tower was collapsing, said on several occasions, Nwankwo whose shop is located near it had been told to evacuate to avoid damage, but he refused and rather petitioned ASUDEB.
Onunkwo said, “We are aware that the security tower is collapsing, Nwankwo had told us about the need to demolish it, but the market has no money and we asked him to do it by himself as it poses danger to lives and property, but Nwankwo instead of demolishing it by himself, went and brought ASUDEB to the market.
“It is not that we cannot use force to even seal his shop, but because we want due process as leaders. We pleaded that he removed the tower but he refused. It is unfortunate that he is the one causing us this problem. We are still pleading with him to relocate his wares to enable us to demolish the tower.
“Even the chairman of Idemili North Local Government Area has given him two weeks from now to remove his wares for the demolition after he refused the ASUDEB order to him earlier to remove his wares.”
But in a swift reaction, Nwankwo said he had been crying about the need to demolish the tower, but the market leaders pleaded with him to carry out the demolition.
Nwankwo said, “What they want is for the security tower to collapse and kill me, that is when they will now come for a condolence visit to my family with N5,000 and that will be the end.”
Because that is what the leadership does. The market chairman said he wants to sell the space I am occupying that was allocated to me.
“He has also stopped me from presiding over the prayer sessions of the market and removed me from the market WhatsApp group, saying I drew the attention of ASUDEB to the market thereby exposing the market before the state government.
“The leadership now sees my inviting ASUDEB as a slap on their faces and they started to threaten me that they would revoke my shop allocation paper while the chairman threatened that he would sell my shop.”
Also reacting, a former chairman, Peace and Reconciliation Committee of the market, Chief Oguka Kamsochukwu, said that the issue which used to be about the security tower had changed to a threat to sell Nwankwo’s allocated shop space which he bought from a former chairman of the market.
Kamsochukwu said, “The issue now is not the security tower, but how to revoke Nwankwo’s shop space he officially procured from a former chairman of the market. What happens in the market is that when you challenge the leadership, they attack you.
“I am saying this now because some people may not know that the target is how to revoke Nwankwo’s space and sell it. That is what the noise is all about. The issue has changed from security tower to revocation of space for sale and that is why they are demanding for his allocation paper.
“Because Nwankwo reported to ASUDEB that the tower may collapse and kill him and his family since the market leadership could not remove it, they now see him as enemy and started to attack him.
