Market men and women operating under the umbrella of Imo State Amalgamated Market and Traders Association (ISAMATA) have embarked on a protest against the National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Joe Ajaero, lamenting that the Labour Leader is unmindful of the hardship they are currently facing by calling for a strike in Imo State.
The traders have therefore vowed to resist any attempt by the Ajaero-led Labour or any other group for that matter that wants to worsen the excruciating hardship they are passing through as a result of high cost of fuel, cash crunch due to the Naira redesign, lack of power supply, among others.
Leading their members to protest to Governor Hope Uzodimma at the Government House in Owerri on Friday, President of ISAMATA, Comrade Ezeanochie Emmanuel, said that Ajaero was unreasonable to have called for strike in Imo when there was no need for such, insisting that their members would resist any plan to truncate the peace in the State.
Governor Uzodimma who was unavoidably absent but was represented by his deputy, Prof. Placid Njoku, assured the leadership and members of ISAMATA of standing with them in their move towards resisting man-made difficulties they are facing in the State currently that make live unbearable for their members.
The Deputy Governor reminded the traders that “the Government of Senator Uzodimma has the welfare of the people as its primary business and will not stand by to see anybody come to Imo State to impose hardship on her citizens.”
He said that: “The 3R administration is a government that likes to see hardworking people such as ISAMATA get benefit for their hard work. The government will be happy that genuine traders make gains from their businesses, that civil servants get their salaries and entitlements at the end of the month and in the same manner pensioners get their full month pensions at the end of every month.”
Prof Njoku added that the government has been sensitive to the need of the people, reiterating that Governor Uzodimma had asked him to inform ISAMATA that “his government will stand up to resist any directive or order coming from anywhere that will impinge on the freedom and welfare and even livelihood of Imo citizens.”
Prof. Njoku said it was “regrettable and unfortunate that the recent directive for workers to go on strike, that electricity should be cut off from Imo people and that even filling stations should close their business to make things unbearable for Imo people, is coming from an Imo son who stays somewhere and dished out offensive directives.”
He, therefore, warned that wherever Joe Ajero may be hiding, he should be made to understand that there is a Government in Imo State and that Imo people have suffered enough from the time of Covid-19 to End#SARS# to banditry and unknown gunmen and now to the present circumstances, “and as a matter of fact nobody will be allowed to come to Imo State to add more harm to Imo people.”
The Deputy Governor urged the traders to go back to their work and businesses, reminding them that “some of the problems such as the high price of fuel and the Naira redesign were not caused by the Imo State Government, rather by prevailing circumstances all over the federation.”
He urged them to go back and be sure that Government will protect them.
Presenting their case earlier, the President of ISAMATA in Imo State, Comrade Ezeanochie Emmanuel said that “it is unreasonable for Joe Ajero to come to Imo State to inflict more difficulties on Imo people, especially the traders when he asked the Electricity Regulators to shut businesses and has equally directed Filling Stations to close shop.”
According to him, the “Imo traders are suffering so much and incurring a lot of loses in their businesses, starting with the high cost of fuel, that is above N350 in Imo State, the Naira re-design where people buy their own money and now, no light and even the filling stations have been asked to also close down.”
He told the Government that they are “ready to resist Joe Ajero and his cohorts to any level and even meet with him in the court of law.”
Adding their voices, the ISAMATA Chairmen for Orlu zone, Comrade Mgbemere Udoka, that of Owerri zone, Comrade Okoko David and that of Okigwe zone, Comrade Ezeigwe Chikwendu, the leader of Hausa Traders, Abdul Ibrahim and the Secretary of ISAMATA Imo State, Comrade Don Chris Okere, all corroborated what their Chairman said and added that “government should stop Ajaero from playing dirty politics with Imo people because they are ready to resist his antics at all levels.”
They acknowledged that Imo State is peaceful, hence they will not allow anybody to come to the State and cause unnecessary trouble.
Emphatically, they decried that the shutting down of electricity in the last two days in Imo State has led to untold damages to their perishable goods such as fish, tomatoes, onions and all such goods that require electricity for preservation.
The protesters carried and displayed varying posters that read:
“We need Peace in Imo State.”
“Nigeria is Ours, Imo State is ours.”
“We can’t die from this organized sufferings.” “The Traders say EDDC should give us Light.” “NLC please don’t add to our sufferings.”
“Imo Traders say No to Ajero’s Evil Intentions.”
“Traders say no to Economic Strangulations in Imo State,” among others.
The Hon. Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Mbadiwe Emelumba joined the Deputy governor to receive the protesting traders.
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