… Commissioner rejects bribe
By Phil Okose, Onitsha
Palpable fear has allegedly gripped market leaders in Anambra State, who built illegal structures in their various markets as means of generating revenue for personal pocket, as the State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Hon. Obinna Ngonadi, has commenced demolition of such structures.
It was gathered that in a bid to save their illegal structures from being demolished, some of the affected market leaders have sent high and mighty that included, clergy, top government functionaries, monarchs, Presidents-General, among others, to the Commissioner, with mouth watering sum of money but the Commissioner refused to give them audience.
Recall that the Commissioner had at a meeting of all the market leaders held at the Anambra State Market Amalgamated Traders Association, ASMATA, secretariat in Onitsha, recently, openly said that he rejected money brought to him.
“I rejected it and told them it can’t be business as usual again. This government has come to sanitize the markets in line with Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s resolve to develop the State for the betterment of the people.
“Do the right thing, we are working with the master plan of all the markets and any structures built outside the master plan will be pulled down,” he assured them.
Also some leaders of the 32 flawed markets that were sacked and substituted by caretaker committees, are not left out in the attempt to bribe their way back to office, but the Commissioner described them as enemies of the State.
Commending the Commissioner for turning around the markets in the State, the chairman of traders of Old Aguata Union, OAU, that make up 45 communities in the State, comrade Peter Okala, hinted that, “a careful study of some major markets in Anambra State, shows that radical cleansing is on going.
” Shops and malls illegally built by successive Commissioners to block emergency exists in various markets are being pulled down, starting with Onitsha Main Market, Hon Commissioner Ngonadi, believes that health is wealth, that no meaningful development or business could grow in the current filthy environment in various markets.
“He insists that markets must be habitable because they are occupied by human beings not animals, that when normal spaces are retained inside markets, it will enhance emergency exits and during the incidence of fire outbreak, loss of properties and even humans would be minimal.
“Other areas the Hon.Commissioner is looking at is parking spaces as most of them have been covered with one building or the other, making movement of goods in and outside the markets very difficult.
” Warehousing is another aspect of the Hon. Commissioner’s plan to encourage trade participation by individuals and corporate bodies who may not have shops inside the market without having to go through all the huddles of retail which would also encourage retailers in the narket to operate which would complete the circle of economic stimulus by the undocumented businesses.
“Functional boreholes and fire fighting equipments are now a must for all the markets in Anambra State, under Obinna Ngonadi. On the government revenue, traders’ taxes and environmental sanitation fees which some market Leaders have diverted to personal use, is one of the very important areas where Ngonadi is beaming government search light.
“Enumeration of shops in all the markets in Anambra State, is ongoing to ascertain the IGR strength of various markets in order to establish parameters of investigating some narket leaders who have criminally helped themselves with government revenue in the past, as the legacy of accountability and transparency is what Ngonadi cherished so much,” Okala hinted.