By Juliana Nwachukwu
The Chairman of Onitsha Main Market, Hon. Chijioke Okpalaugo yesterday said that the market disassociate self with the ongoing protest, insisted that the protesters were not traders but those who want to hijack the market closure.
He made the declaration while speaking with journalist in his office at the market immediately after the indoor meeting.
“See how calm everywhere is but I heard that the miscreants are in the street. I’m not talking of them, I have called the real businessmen and they have resolved to do what the governor said, I’m not aware of any protest by marketers.
“Prof. Charles Soludo is a progressive minded Governor, his decision is a wise decision, he want the best of us because of what we are to be getting on Mondays in our businesses. Because Igbos are known for business, we are loosing what should be coming to us as individuals, so Governor Soludo has good things in mind for those he is governing, he took the decision at the right time.
“As you can see we had meeting of all the affected chairmen, we have been resolved and a letter has been written that we must see the governor and appeal to him that his order must be respected, that the order is for our own good.
“We have minute our resolution and will meet him when we get the respond. In the letter we appealed to him to listen to traders and reconsider opening the market, we also assured him in the letter that the market will be open on Mondays.
“I know we are losing on Mondays as a result of sit at home, we will regain if we start our Monday businesses, what the governor did was to push us, we need a little push and he has done it . We believe he will listen to us because our governor has a listening ear.
“The governor of Anambra State gave us initial information on Thursday, they told us that we should open on Monday, that if we did not open that the market will remain closed,” Okpalaugo said.
Juliana is of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State
