Amidst Jubilation, Anambra Building Materials Traders Endorse Soludo for 2nd Term, Move to New Market

By Our correspondent

The chairman of Allied Building Materials Market, Nteje, Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State have given clean bill of health to their newly constructed ultra-modern market which they parked into this January, 2025.

Speaking on behalf of the traders, the general chairman of the market comprising eight markets in Onitsha dealing in different building
materials, Mr. Ejike Ignatius,said they have come to stay in the market and there is no going back in spite of the opposition by some disgruntled traders of Atani Iron Rod Union.

Some traders from Atani Iron Rod Union had called on Governor Soludo to intervene in their matter alleging that Special Adviser on Market, Chief Evaristus Uba, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Commerce Mr Chinedu Ike, the former chairman Chief Nnaemeka Onuzulike and the current Caretaker Committee of the Union, Evaristus Ejezie and others shut down their market at Atani, when the market at Nteje has not been completed.

But Sandwiched by chairmen of other markets, the general chairman dismissed their claim, saying that the market was ready and they had since January this parked in.

He said there was Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), among the markets when they were starting the construction that they would all move into the new market by the time of completion.

” We all agreed.No chairman told us there was disagreement within his union or association.So, we have moved in except those who did not pay or have not completed their payment.

The Atani Road Iron Dealers Union traders had also alleged that Onuzulike failed to take care of their interest by allocating plots to them and accounting for the money they paid.

But Ejike said : “It is futile to oppose the movement to the new market in Nteje. It is just mere envy. With the support of Governor Chukwuma Soludo, we have moved to our new market in Nteje.We have started market in Nteje”.

He said the shops were allocated to the traders on the basis of “first come, first serve”, that anybody who paid must get a shop even the opposition.

He emphasised that there are provisions for everybody who paid for shops ,noting that it was not being allocated on plot by plot basis but by shops.

” That is our agreement with Nteje people to build shops for traders, not plots because we are not building residential houses”.

The former chairman of Atani Iron Rod Union, Chief Nnaemeka Onuzulike, said the traders were asked to relocate to the new sites since November 2023,saying it was “Governor Soludo who asked us to move not me. It is the Government.

They have done everything to frustrate us including going to court but they failed”.

Onuzulike assured that he would account for what they have done at the appropriate time when they finishes the project.

He regretted that the opposition was not ready for reconciliation, alleging that they had gone to six different reconciliation meetings but each time they would abandon it when it is not going their way.

” Their target is to jail me. And these people are not up to 30 in number. We provided shops for those who paid but they refused and preferred to abuse Government officials.

He said Chief Eugene Obi -Okoye, who signed a petition to Governor as the chairman of BoT was lying because their BoT chairman is Chief Simon Nsofor.

He accused Chief Obi -Okoye of having paid and signed his shop but he wanted 14 shops which nobody would give him
Chief Nsofor in his contribution said he was satisfied with the rate of progress in the market so far, saying that there is 95 percent response by the traders.

The current chairman of the Atani Road Iron Rod Union, Chief Evaristus Ejezie, said there is nothing that they have done that was not in accordance with the State Government directives.

“We were given August 31, 2024 to vacate our old sites. But the date has been shifted till January 2025. So, I am not chasing anybody. Government is chasing all of us and we have to comply.There are shops for everybody here” he said.

A stakeholder in the market, Chief Mark Ezepoe, said because of the support of the Governor to see the realization of the market ,they are endorsing him for the second term.

Others who earlier spoke equally endorsed Governor Soludo for Second term in office .

Many other stakeholders of the eight markets that formed Allied Building Materials Market were present at the briefing in their new expansive site at Nteje in Oyi Local Government Area.