By Our Correspondent
Members of the Delta State Traders and Market leaders Council (DESTMALC) have appealed to the Executive Governor of Delta State, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa to complete the construction of the Sapele Ultra model market on time to enable more persons not yet allocated shops have the benefit of been a shop owner to alleviate their plight.
The spokesperson of the Sapele main market traders comrade Oritsematosan Gogomeje who lauded the administrative ingenuity of the Governor and his concern for the people of Sapele, appealed to the governor to expedite action by releasing more funds to the contractors handling the projects so that the entire projects could be completed on schedule.
Comrade Gogomeje while reacting to the report credited to one Hon. James K. Ajueshi who claimed to be the President of Sapele market Association on page 10 of the Urhobo voice with the title “ Sapele women lauds Okowa on Sapele market” debunked the statement he (Ajueshi) said that the market which was completed on phase 1 and 2 by the Uduaghan’s regime were illegally allocated as false and does not contain any iota of truth.
Comrade Gogomeje said upon completion of phases 1 and 2, government in their wisdom decided to allocate the shops to their original owners and others after they were made to fill a form where they (Market traders) were asked to thick if they were previous owners of shops with proof of ownership attached before those categories where allocated shops immediately without delay under the supervision of the Hon. James Kojo Ajueshi whom the government approached the first time when they came to the market.
He explained further that the N2000 the traders paid into the government Exco Scoffers at Sterling Bank Warri, was suggested by Hon. Ajueshi and his committee members to government wondering how come he is now dancing with the other side of his mouth that he is not aware of the sales of forms to traders and for such the process did not pass through due process.
The traders noted that it was the same Ajueshi and his cohorts that took the Delta State government to court saying that the market has no foundation and poses death trap to traders asking how come the same Kojo is calling on the Delta State government to relocate the shops that does not have foundation which constitute death trap to him and his co-traders forgetting that the case is still pending at the Sapele High Court coming up for hearing on the 8th of October 2015.
Comrade Gogomeje reminded Hon. Ajueshi that if he is saying that the construction and allocation of shops has to pass through the Local Government Area and not through the state government, them he should be reminded of the fact that both the state and Sapele Local Government Area had an agreement through Built operate and transfer (BOT) arrangement and for him to come out to say that the present occupance are illegal, now means he should see a psychiatrics for a proper medical re-examination.
He pointed out to Ajueshi and his sponsors that the traders in the market did not woke up one morning and packed into the market without they been allocated shops in the market, since they all passed through due process of government before they were allocated shops after they paid the N2000 rentage fee into an account no 0032569181 sterling bank Warri, duly given to them by as the Uduaghan led administration that completed the same phases 1 and 2. Gogomeje said further that if Ajueshi says if DESTMALC which is the umbrella body of all traders in the state has hijacked the shops illegally, a market that was built by the state government how come a traders Association have the right to hijack the governments shops nothing that the government as far as they are concerned, has never asked them to evacuate the market with a notice on them that they are illegal occupants.
He reminded Ajueshi further that their Union is a recognized body state wide which was registered by the Corporate affairs Commission (CAC) of which the said Kojo Ajueshi and his followers are full fledge members with them possessing their membership certificates each.
They therefore appealed to the Governor Okowa led government to continue the project on phase 3 which the Uduaghan’s government left behind, so that other traders could be allocated to the new open shops
on phase 3.
