Dissatisfied with the non-compliance of some traders to open their shops on Mondays over fear of uncertainty, the President General, Anambra State Amalgamated Traders’ Association, ASMATA, Chief Humphrey Anuna, during his meeting with market Chairmen/ Secretaries, read the riot act to them, vowing to sanction defaulters.
Till Monday this week, shops at the various markets in the state were still locked, over fears of being attacked by enforcers of the order issued by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, over the continued incarceration of their leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Many have been killed and properties destroyed for defying the order at various parts of the state.
However, the advent of Governor Chukwuma Soludo administration has seen a renewed drive to end the sit-at-home, with the promise of improved security at the markets.
Addressing the market leaders during the meeting recently, The ASMATA PG reminded them that the state government has put every arsenal in place aimed at confronting head-on, any force preventing them from carrying out their legitimate business activities on Mondays.
“Consequently, market chairmen must make sure that all the market gates are kept open and ropes used to barricade market gates removed every Monday. If anyone complains about fear of loss of wares, let the person tell me directly about it.
“Any market that fails to open will bear her consequences alone because the government has placed security everywhere. You do not nurse any fear of the unknown,” he further warned.
On illegal structures clustering all over the markets, the PG announced the inauguration of a 10-man illegal Structures Demolition Committee that will ensure only approved structures are allowed to exist.
Inaugurating them, Anuna stated that market chairmen must present to the committee approval for structures permitted to stand when the committee visits any market, adding that without approval such structures must be demolished on the order of the PG.
The ASMATA PG consequently directed the chairmen to demolish all the illegal structures in their markets, adding that the enforcement team has already begun the exercise.
“I, the PG will approve any demolition exercise they will embark on and after such demolition, the committee will give report on how the demolition exercise was carried out,” he stated.
He warned traders in all the plazas that disturb market chairmen from carrying out their functions to desist in their own interest as their actions would no longer be tolerated.
He also reminded the chairmen of the need to ensure prompt payment of their Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, stating that those who embezzle government IGR risk jail term.
“Again, all the chairmen should not fail to pay their IGR and on time because if the government arrests you for embezzlement, no magistrate will release you,” he posited.
