Aggrieved members of Edo State Market Women Association and Traders Welfare Union have moved against the association’s leadership after accusations of corruption against its President, Blacky Ogiamien.
The members brave the odds in an unprecedented show of discontent, demanding Ogiamien’s sack during a peaceful protest to the Palace of the Oba of Benin where they displayed placards, reflecting their concerns.
The protesters also sang songs of courage that gave voice to their worries, condemning ‘evil union in markets’ which they alleged is behind increase in price of foodstuffs across markets in the state.
Spokesman of the Edo Traders Welfare Union, Comrade Lucky Orukpe, called for the immediate removal of the Edo Market Women Association leaders, citing alleged high handedness and failure to account for finances of the association.
Orukpe alleged that the funds include the sum of N100,000,000.00 (One hundred million naira) donated to the association by Senator Adams Oshiomhole in his capacity as Governor of the State some years ago, which the leader has yet to account for having found out the truth behind her intrigues.
Another leader in one of the markets, Mrs Patience Asuen, while expressing a range of emotion, passed ‘no confidence vote’ on the leadership of the union seeking the intervention of the paramount traditional ruler in the state.
Speaking on behalf of the Benin Palace Chiefs, Chief Isaac Oghafua Oyeoba, the Oyeoba of Benin, assured the peaceful protesters that the Oba of Benin, who is the Life Patron of the Union, will ensure that justice is served.
Dispelling the protesters’ fears, Oyeoba, who was joined by other Chiefs, cautioned the protesters against violence and adviced them to conduct their activities in a peaceful manner.
To prove her innocence, Blacky Ogiamien, previously, led a procession of traditional worshippers in Benin and swore loudly at some shrines, dedicated to the worship of deities and asked ancestral spirits to bear witness over the allegations levelled against her, insisting that she has nothing to hide despite conspiracy theorists bent on blackmailing her.
Discussion about this post