Tony Okafor,Awka
Traders in various markets in Anambra State have hailed the state governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, for severing the Ministry of Trade and Commerce from the office of Dr Obinna Ngonadi who used to be in charge of it as Commissioner foTrade, Commerce and Industry.
Apparently because of protests by traders over Ngonadi’s high-handedness and sundry complaints, Soludo last week narrowed Ngonadi’s scope to only industry while the trade and commerce arms of the ministry were transferred to the office of the governor.
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Speaking on behalf of the traders on Monday in a statement, counsel for Ndubuisi Ochiogu, who was removed as the Chairman of Ogbaru Main Market, by Ngonadi, Chief Ben Uzuegbu (SAN), said Soludo had demonstrated through his action that he had his ears on the ground.
He said he had filed a notice of discontinuance of the case between his client and Ngonadi in court because they were happy with the governor’s action of removing Ngonadi from overseeing traders’ affairs.
Uzuegbu said he was optimistic that since the governor had started addressing the trouble created in Anambra markets by Ngonadi, he ( Soludo) would complete what he had started.
For his part, Ikechukwu Ekwegbalu, President General, Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATAS), an umbrella body of markets in Anambra State, praised the governor for doing the needful to nip in the bud the commissioner’s moves in Anambra markets.
Ekwegbalu instructed the traders who instituted court cases against the state government to withdraw them because according to him they had nothing against the governor but against Ngonadi.
He pledged the continuous support and loyalty of the entire traders in the state to Soludo’s administration.
