By Julie Sylvia, Onitsha
Mild drama played out on Tuesday, at Onitsha Bridge Head market, Anambra State, when the market chairman, Mr. Sunday Obinze, and his executives, shunned handover of the leadership of the market ceremony, to the Board of Trustees (BOT) as ordered by the State Government.
It was gathered that the pledge of the chairman, secretary and other executive members to be present failed as Vice chairrman, Sunday Alagboso, announced that he represented the chairman, who he said was indisposed to be present and asked him to represent him.
Recall that the market leadership has been at loggerhead with a rival group, for years, over alleged disobedient to court order, imposition, alleged flawed election, among others.
AnambraDaily gathered that the protracted leadership crisis prompted the state government, through the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Hon. Obinna Ngonadi, to sack the leadership and ordered the BOT, led by Chief Emeka Ilonze, to take over the leadership.
Addressing the gathering, the BOT chairman pledged to abide by the directive of the Commissioner in ensuring that the market is restored to its lost glory, and urged the traders to give the BOT massive support.
Ilonze, however directed that the hand over of official documents be postponed to September 6, 2023, to ensure complete handover of the items involved as they should be documented.
He stressed: “We are not in a hurry, since the items to be handed over were not documented, we shall postpone it to next week, 6th September, to enable them present detailed documented items”
The Commissioner for trade and commerce, represented by Hon.. Innocent Obianyo, urged the new leadership in the market not to relent in moving the market to the next level.
“I am happy with how everything went and will report to the Commissioner that it was done happily”.
The BOT secretary, Chukwudi Ekwueme and a member of the BOT, Chief Patrick Akputa, expressed satisfaction, saying that peace has finally been restored, with the handover leadership to the BOT, pending when a democratic election would be conducted.
Contributing, two chieftains in the market, Chiefs Umeh Cyprian and Patrick Akputa, urged the BOT members to work towards making ‘right the wrongs perpetrated against traders in the market.’
In his contribution, comrade Peter Okala, a major market stakeholder in the market, expressed confidence in the new administration and commended the state government as well as traders in the market, for their wisdom in taking the right decision to change what he described as “illegitimate leadership” of the market.
Two traders, Christian Nwosu and Camillus Odinaka also commended the state government for dissolving the administration of the former market executives over some ” illegalities” in the area.
