*** As Council Gives January 31 As Ultimatum
*** Market Women Plan Mass Protest To Govt. House, Assembly
*** Matter Still In Court, Can’t Comment On It – Uvwie Council Boss
By SouthernVoicenews,
EFFURUN market women in Uvwie local government area of Delta state, yesterday, has written to the Delta state governor Sen. Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, over alleged plans by the Uvwie local government council to eject or demolish their lockup forty stores, with demand of N500,000 when the case still in court.
The market women had also planned to embarked on a peaceful protest to the Government House Asaba and state House of Assembly to ask why Uvwie local government council want to eject or demolish their lockup stores and alleged demand of N500,000 with January ending 2022 as ultimatum.
A trader in the market, Mrs. Ella Nwankwo who said her mother inlaw is also a victim of this market issues is appealing to the governor and the leadership of the Delta state House of Assembly to intervene and prevail on the Uvwie council Chairman, Hon. Ramson Onoyake not to demolish their lockup stores approved to them by the same government over two decades ago.
Nwankwo said, the occupants of the forty lockup stores had sometimes in 1993, applied to the Okpe local government council, Orerokpe, when Uvwie local government council was not yet created, that then the stores were half completed when allocated to them, and they were built with their own hard earned money to complete them to standard lockup stores.
She said the women had always complied with all payments from the then Okpe local government council to when Uvwie local government was created, adding that the issue has been lingering over the years and that they are in court with the council after several protest to the council secretariat where one of the staff’s said there was no such plans to demolish the stores.
Another source at the market who pleaded anonymity for fear of victimization, said those from the Uvwie council who had attended one of the proceedings at the court sitting denied any plan to demolish the lockup stores.
The source while calling on the State Governor and the Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly to come to our aid before things will get out of hand with this ultimatum of January 2022 ending to pay N500,000 into Zenith AcctNo. 1006080092 of one Mr. Michael Agaren, whom we suspect represents the council and later another Zenith Acct No. 1220674525, Uvwie LG Sub Committee, Effurun, Market and the issued paper for payment are with us. “
“How could somebody we voted into power could turn against us for just no course for stores we have been occupying for over twenty years, how do we feed our families, pay our children fees, care for ourselves if you demolishing our stores that is very okay, strong, without any of the roof licking, or except you asking asking or chasing us from Uvwie because we are strangers in your land.
Meanwhile, the Uvwie local government council Chairman, Hon. Ramson Onoyake when contacted said he cannot speak on the issue since the case is before the Effurun High Court of Justice.