Awesome Ekene
Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders’ Association (ASMATA) has warned that market commander, his team and the ‘Make Way Enforcement’ team, would be held responsible for any fire outbreak in any market in Anambra State as from 2023.
ASMATA President General, Chief Humphrey Anuna, who sounded the note of warning while addressing market chairmen in the State said there would no longer be mercy for them, insisting that safety of the market remained their responsibility.
He said, “The market commander, his team and the ‘Make Way Enforcement’ team, should report themselves immediately to any nearest police station once their is fire outbreak in their market and be there until they compensate the owners of the wares destroyed by the inferno. Failure to do so will result in more harm to you.
“Also any market chairman that doesn’t know how to tackle problems in his market should approach ASMATA. Some market crisis are caused by lazy chairmen and this in turn results in petition writing.
“Be resolute in your resolve concerning market issues as chairmen and avoid actions that would bring you to ridicule especially now Government wants to reposition the markets for the better.”
Anuna issued markets that were yet to collect their manifest one-week ultimatum, (13th- 20th December), to do so as well as pay their stallage levies within the period under review.
On market enforcement of the levies, he urged the chairmen to send to him five people from each market to mobilize them as market enforcement and compliance team that would be in charge as task force for the levies, and incharge of clearing roads, mostly inside the markets at the closing time of the markets against those blocking roads with their vehicles and wares, thereby causing traffick gridlock inside markets.
Chief Anuna pledged to turn around the markets next year, stating that the chairmen should abide by their market constitutions and emulate the ASMATA executive and chairman of Nkpor New Auto Spareparts market, Chief Elysius Ozokwere, in piloting the affairs of their markets and avoid intra executive market crises.
Reacting, Hon. Charles Ikeli, chairman of Amalgamated Tyre Dealers Association, Nkpor, paid glowing tribute to the ASMATA PG and recalled that as former executive chairman of the Association, the PG achieved a lot that included, the hall, uniting the traders, and massively produced young retailers who became importers, stating that he merited his seat as the ASMATA President.
Contributing, chairman GBO market, Mr. Sopuruchukwu Chukwudolue expressed gratitude to the ASMATA PG adding that the traders support him to take them to the next level.
The Onitsha Main market chairman, Chief Ezennia, pledged that the stallage fee would be paid within one week adding that majority have started the payment as they are in support of the PG even as Mr. Paul Okafor, chairman, Main market Nkpor, stressed the need for formation of a transparent group that would be handling their problems, and urged the traders to retrieve their petitions sent to Awka on market crises and return same to ASMATA executives to look into.
