….as women protest against forceful takeover of Oleh market by the Local Government

By Ovedhe Jerry

The popular Oleh market in the headquarter of Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State was yesterday shut down over ownership tussle between the authorities of the Isoko South Local Government and the Oleh Community Development Union, just as hundreds of women across the community staged a peaceful protest against the forceful takeover of the market by authority of the Isoko South Local Government.

The protesting women at the market

The aggrieved protesters who carried placards with various inscriptions such as: “Gov Okowa, Oleh market is not for council,” “No stranger can use Oleh market for his selfish end”, “Ikpokpo leave our market alone”, “Government did not build market for us, so he should not take it”, “Gov Okowa remove Ikpokpo now”, were seen as they demonstrated along the various routes in the market.

According to the secretary to Oleh Women leader, Mrs. Helen Elli and one of the traders Mrs Pricella Okperi, who spoke with our correspondent, they alleged that the market was built in the community by funds being raised from the community and supported by shell, saying that “since inception Oleh community has been responsible for the maintenance of this market.

“We have been paying our normal levy of 50 naira per shop every market day and a yearly rent of 2,500 naira per shop to the community which they have been using in maintaining the market. But since 2 weeks ago, the authorities of the Local Government came and forcefully took over the market from the community imposing different levies of 3,000 for registration and collection of forms, and 15,000naira for yearly rent per shop on us which we are against.”

On his part, the President General of Oleh Community Development Union, Mr. James Emonena Okpighe supported the protest saying that, “the unwarranted takeover of the Oleh Community market by authorities of Isoko South Local Government is a breach of the Nigerian Constitution under the 4^th schedule and by extension a violation of the Delta State laws of 2013 which forbids the takeover of any market not built with government funds.

“This market was built with our community funds when the Local Government failed to give us a market. To decree its takeover, is like we are in the days of Military, without any compensation to the community is an infraction of the Nigeria Constitution.

“Government is supposed to build market, garage, abattoir, and mortuary, and maintain them for the community, but this they failed to do. This same government who has failed in its responsibilities to the people came unilaterally without any discussion or compensation to the people, decree the takeover of the market, which is unlawful. If you go to the garage today, the drivers single handedly built the garage and they are remitting a percentage of their tax to the Local Government.

“An announcement was made that, all state owned market communities across the state should go to Asaba for a meeting with the state government. I sent my women leader there and she was denied entering, that Oleh market was not in the list of markets being owned by the state government. They told them that, the only Yanga market being owned by the state government is situated in Abraka. When they were sharing transportation allowance and stipends to the traders and women leaders that represents each communities that has government markets, Oleh was not given. So if the government has done this, what gave the local government chairman power to decree Oleh market takeover and give it to his cronies.

“Let me tell you the implication of this, everybody in the local government is not happy with this new idea. Because the Chairman (Malik Ikpokpo) has driven PDP away from from Isoko South with his laws of infringing the rights of its citizens. By next local government election, no one will vote for PDP, because of the attitude of the chairman. That is what my people and everybody in Isoko south are saying because what affect Oleh affect every other communities across the local government.

“The Oleh market is an income generating market and we realized that, we are supposed to remit a certain percentage of tax to the local government from the revenue generated from the market, which we have been doing. But just of recent he violated that and suddenly decreed the market takeover.

“He has now inflated the market revenue on our people. My people now pay 3,000naira for collection of form and registration before they can own a shop and they also pay 15,000naira yearly rents per shop. Before, we do collect 2500 as yearly rent from the traders and 50 naira per shop each market days. This money we have been using in developing the market and the community as we cannot taxed the old men and women in the community.

“Like the drivers in the garage, this we have been doing in the past until 2 weeks ago that they served us a letter in respect of the forcefully takeover of the market and which we against. We will go to court and this protest will continue all over every Oleh market days until this invasion and rape on our commonwealth by authorities of Isoko South Local Government is addressed by the Delta State Government.

“Malik Ikpokpo is hiding under the umbrella of government to infringe the rights of my people but we are resisting this expediency. Since 2014, which I took over the Presidency of the community, I have used my own money and the community money in maintaining the market.

“Opposite the market, you will see a locked-up storey building. That was the market being built by the local government, its being dilapidated and the local government has neglected it. Why are they now interested in the one I have spent my money to build and maintained by my community? We are totally against this injustice against our people”, he said.

In his response, the chairman Isoko South Local Government Council, Hon Malik ikpokpo, said all markets across the state belongs to Government and no community or individual owed any market.

His words “We have called all traditional rulers of the various community across the Local Government to discuss on how the market revenue are being generated and we arrived on an agreed point.

“But because the leadership of Oleh community has failed in all their responsibilities. That is why they are holding onto the market. On the revenue they are to remit to the Local Government, they stop paying over 10 years ago. So if the market is theirs, why were they paying revenue to the council?

“Because they stop paying, we decided to sit down with the members of the Oleh Community Development Union and other rulers within the community to see how we can review the revenue generation of the market and we gave it to a consultant who will generate revenue from the market. While the council will in return develop the market with the revenue generated.

“Unfortunately for them, they have mismanaged the opportunity the Local Government gave to them, if you go to the market 3 weeks ago. You will see debris everywhere. What we did to avert this, was to get a consultant who will collect the market revenue and in return pay a certain a percentage to Government and use the percentage for the development of the market”.

On the issue of increase market revenue, the council boss confirmed that the same money the Oleh Community Development Union was collecting is the same amount that the consultant is also collecting.

The chairman however urged the Oleh women and the Oleh Community Development union to comply with authorities of the Local Government and the consultant in charge of the market revenue to develop the market saying that “the revenue being, collected is for the development of Oleh market.