From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
The Chairman of Onitsha Main Market Association Chief Innocent Ezeoha has said that the market has generated over N90 million revenue to the Anambra State coffers for two consecutive years since he assumed office in 2022.
Ezeoha stated that the naming calling by some disgruntled market line leaders was that he refused to yield to their demands to share government revenue to the leaders who bet on sucking the government dry and preventing him from remitting revenue to the government coffers.
The Chairman who spoke to The Sun in his office said that those who have been pendling lies and trying to tarnished his image were those who were angry that he closed all the illegal windows where they syphon government revenue before he came to the leadership of the market.
He said that governor Chukwuma Soludo has constructed all the roads leading to the Main Market due to the fact that the market generates huge revenue direct to the government purse, saying that before now revenue was being collected but was not remitted but diverted to private purse which he said hinders government from carrying out projects.
According to Ezeoha he has attracted some projects and innovation to the market since he assumed office in 2022 to include; provision of health centre, provision of seats, extension of closing hours from 4.30pm to 6pm, decongestion of Johnson market area for traffic flow, clearing refuse dump along Bright Street, provision of automatic fight extinguisher in the market and sacking of touts and disband of illegal revenue taskforce for harassment and intimidation among others.
“We are running this market to leave a legacy not to make money. We are following the footsteps of governor Soludo want to make the state Dubai of Africa. We supporting the governor by generating revenue and remitting the money direct to government coffers without tampering with the fund. We won award in 2022 as the overall highest revenue generating market and in 2023 we came second after Ochanja market who won with only N2 million but we are going to win again this year. I created my own taskforce for revenue collection which helped us to achieve the desired goal in revenue drive.
“When we assumed office in 2022 the health centre was converted to shops by the past leaders but I came to change it by attracting government attention through the ministry of health who came and deploy doctors and nurses and other health workers. So, we now have health centre in the market. We cleared refuse that blocked the road along Bright Street and there is flow of movement. We also decongested Johnson Street road for ease movement.
“When I came into the office there were many windows of illegal collection of revenue which I closed. The market before now closed for business at 4.30pm and 5pm respectively after which they will start collecting money for traders who stayed beyond the time but I came and stopped that and extended the time to 6pm and also opened market on December 27 for business and the traders are happy. We also stopped street trading as directed by the governor but before my coming they were collecting money from them. So, all these were my offense because some line leaders said why should I close where they ‘chop’ where they make their illegal money. That’s why they are calling me names” Ezeoha stated.
Some of the market leaders Mr. Victor Ajuzieogu, Mrs. Ifeoma Ezebebe, Mrs. Rose Muorah, Mr. Kenechukwu Anieto and Chukwuemeka Umeorah said that the coming of Chief Ezeoha was good thing that had happened to Onitsha Main Market as he has transformed the market through his selfless service to the good of the traders and government.
In their separate interview, they said that the chairman has been calling meetings regularly and always carry them along in decision taken, saying that those who attack the Chairman were the oppositions who wanted the chairman to maintain the old order of extorting money from innocent traders and sharing the government revenue.
Others who spoke to The Sun, a stakeholder Chief Okey Akaudu, Chief Royland Okeke (Chairman zone two), Mr. Obiora Ezeizunwanne (Seaport Line Chairman) said that some disgruntled elements wanted to cause crisis in the market to destabilized the leadership of the market through their antics and utterances which they said won’t succeed.
They said they were solidly behind the leadership of Chief Ezeoha who has brought light to the market through his leadership style, policies and projects to ensure that main market retain its lost glory as the major market in West Africa to recon with.
