C'River; Market Women Demands Probe Of APC Chieftain Over Illegal Extortions, Lauds MGLA Commissioner over abolition of multiple levies

By Ekanem Asuquo 
Calabar 

Traders and market women at the Ika Ika Oqua Market popularly known as Marian Market in Calabar Municipality have expressed appreciation to the state Commissioner, Ministry of Local Government Affairs Chief Victor Felix Idem for ensuring the abolition of multiple levies and arbitrary extortions undertaken by the erstwhile market management.

The traders in separate interviews with The Beagle News said the intervention of the Commissioner has abated the inhuman  treatments and humiliation they suffered at the hands of the erstwhile Market Master and Chapter Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Calabar Municipality, Mr. Emmanuel Mbora 

Speaking, Madam Arit Ekong said; I want to salute the courage demonstrated by Governor Otu through the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs in rescuing us from the menace of touts who held sway in this market in the days of Ayade. We saw hell, and humiliation in the hands of those boys who bragged openly that they were cultists and untouchable by any government"

"Some days, our total sales were not even enough to pay for the multiple levies imposed on us by Mbora and his gang. We paid various levies ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous notable Chairman's wife upkeep levy , children welfare levy and marching ground for Big Qua boys which were never approved by Council"

Narrating her ordeal, another trader who simply gave her name as Madam Eunice revealed that her shop was vandalized and allotted to someone else even with subsisting rent for nonpayment of daily toll and tickets when she traveled to attain to her aged parents who were down in health.

Continuing; Upon return after calls from concerned neighbors from the market, I lodged a formal complaint with the Police through a lawyer. Mbora and his boys resorted to stalking me around with threats to my life and family members, warning me of dire consequences if I fail to backtrack. I had to withdraw the matter. Am now selling my wares outside the market"

Emma Mbora

The traders implored the Commissioner to use his good offices to facilitate the restoration of public power supply to the market which has been without electricity for about five years running.

According to another trader who preferred to talk on condition of anonymity" Government should not merely stop at setting up a new management committee to oversee the market. The government should go further by setting up a Panel of Inquiry on the activities of the former committee. 

"For instance, we were paying between three to five thousand monthly for electricity bills to Mbora unknown to us that the monies were being diverted to private pockets until Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, PHED disconnected the Market for nonpayment of bills running into several thousand naira. We offer to follow them to negotiate for payment by installments to ensure prompt reconnection, especially for those dealing on perishable goods, Mbora ignored us"

Meanwhile, indications are rife that the embattled All Progressives Congress chieftain who administered the market within the period under review, Chief Emmanuel Mbora might be expelled from the ruling party for actions inimical to the corporate image and interest of the APC.

According to a state official of the party who does not want his name in print, "Even when he was suspended by 20 out of 29 members of the Chapter Executive for clear violations of the Party Constitution, he was busy going around casting aspersions of key officer holders from the Party and sponsoring blatant lies on the media to malign the APC led government in the state. We can't tolerate such a level of impunity.