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..Tasks traders to Join Soludo's War Against Touting

By Uzo Ugwunze

 

The President General, PG, Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders Association, ASMATA, Chief Humphrey Anuna, has inaugurated the new executives of United Petrochemical Dealers and Crushers Association of Nigeria, headed by Mr Onyekachi Nwafor as chairman.

Inaugurating them at the ASMATA Secretariat weekend, the ASMATA PG charged them to live by their oath of office and avoid acts capable of dragging them to ridicule adding that they should key into Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo's move to restore the lost glory of the markets.

"You should be your brother's keeper by telling your fellow traders the truth and see yourselves as partners in progress which is the APGA slogan of 'Onyeaghana Nwanne ya", he pleaded.

In his post inaugural speech, the new chairman of the association, Chief Nwafor, said that, "What is expected from us now is that we will unite all the members of the market and make sure we follow government directives.

"We need mobile fire service which we were promised to get. We need permanent site that will accommodate the whole traders," he stated.

On the allegation that the association deals in fake products he denied the allegation saying, "We don't produce or sell fake products, we sell processed products, that is already processed petrochemicals," he affirmed. 

Also he disclosed that, "I will handle our opposition as ourselves and if any case that requires the attention of ASMATA leadership, I will kindly surrender to ASMATA to keep a clean hand.

"Once such case is beyond my settlement I will involve central body of ASMATA to handle it for us. We come to support government," he assured.

He however admitted that touts exist in the market stating that they normally dealt with them when they misbehaved, warning, "Now that we are officially elected and inaugurated, we now have full power to tackle them the way we want.

"There is anti-tout squad set up by state government, we will get their phone numbers to work with them towards fighting the touts," he further added.

On the performance of the ASMATA PG since he assumed office, the new chairman stated that, "Onwa ndi ahia, PG, God is using him on the traders. He doesn’t discriminate whether you are rich or poor. Any problem you have, he will listen to you and solve it for peace to reign. There is peace in the market since he assumed office. We are happy that God gave him to us," he explained.

Speaking, Mr Steven Uka, the Secretary of the market, added, "I promise that I will support chairman fully, we are one body and will be working together to be in unity in other to get what we are fighting for.

"Before I was made the secretary, all of them knew me as peace maker and trust worthy, so if there is any opposition, we will join hands together to tackle them and we will take them as one of us, with time they will change from their bad ways, that's our belief.

"Soludo is a solution to Anambra state problem, he is doing very well to Ndi Anambra state. We are in full support of his work," he stated.

Also Assistant secretary, Mr Adolphus Udeh, added, "I am the assistant secretary of the market. We are solidly behind our chairman, if you know the nature of business we are doing, you know that whoever that abandons his machine and goes out, will lose a lot of things, but we wouldn't mind, we will support him to be here," he pledged.