The Anambra State Government has debunked claims that its ejection order on traders at the Head Bridge section of the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway is targeted at Hausa and Yoruba traders.

At a press briefing after State Executive Council Meeting in Awka on Tuesday, the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Chief Maja Umeh, said the ejection order was meant to clear the way for the construction of service lanes and shoulders on that section of the road.

The Hausa and Yoruba traders at the goat markets, however, maintained that the ejection order had ethnic colouration.

Umeh said alternative sites had already been allocated to the traders, who refused to relocate.

Umeh said, “Following the commencement of beautification works on Km zero-three of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway to complement the ongoing reconstruction work on the road as promised by Governor Peter Obi, it has become necessary to direct all the illegal occupants of the service lane and road shoulders to relocate immediately.

“These illegal occupants, especially those who have been allocated alternative locations like the goat sellers, 911 Lorry park users, and so on, are hereby directed to relocate to their sites immediately as their continuous stay there amounts to obstruction of the beautification exercise.

“The state government takes the beautification of the Bridge Head-Upper Iweka Roundabout very seriously since it is the main gateway into the state and will stop at nothing in bringing defaulters of this directive to order.”

The Hausa and Yoruba traders described the state government’s ejection order as “biased and ethnic motivated.”

They said they were legitimate tenants of the Federal Ministry of Housing and have valid receipts for payments for their allocations that would expire by 2014. They insisted that the plot to forcefully eject them by the state government was undemocratic.

The leaders of the traders, Chief Lateef Balogun, and Alhaji Tanimu Ibrahim, said the state government had concluded plans to lease the plot of land to a major transporter in Onitsha, adding that they were not given an alternative site to relocate to.

The trader leaders stated that the move to throw them out of the place of business they had occupied for over 40 years without a plan for compensation or relocation was a subtle way of sacking the Yoruba and Hausa communities in the state.

They recalled that the last time the state government tried to forcibly eject them with soldiers, 11 of the traders were killed.

They said, “What they are planning to do is to subtly sack us from the state but as Nigerians, we have the right to live and do business in any part of the country without fear of intimidation. We shall resist any plot to stampede us out of the market by agents of government over a flimsy excuse.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Parks and Markets, Chief Sylvester Nwaobualor, had said the move to eject the traders was not motivated by ethnic considerations but a measure to clean up the Bridge Head which is the gateway to the state.

http://www.punchng.com/news/hausa-yoruba-traders-ejection-not-ethnic-anambra/

Hmmm

They tried to get us to have reprisals against the Hausa. . . . . .It didn't work

They tried to get us to riot during the fuel subsidy removal. . . . It didn't work

They repeatedly peddled ethnically bias news abt the killings of Igbos so we can declare war, That failed too,

So there next line in action is too build up lies and turn the out majority groups against Ndigbo by this new cooked up story to try to repeat a civil war against eaterners, It will fail too.

Chyz*:

They tried to get us to have reprisals against the Hausa. . . . . .It didn't work

They tried to get us to riot during the fuel subsidy removal. . . . It didn't work

They repeatedly peddled ethnically bias news abt the killings of Igbos so we can declare war, That failed too,

So there next line in action is too build up lies and turn the out majority groups against Ndigbo by this new cooked up story to try to repeat a civil war against eaterners, It will fail too.

Who are those behind all these?

what are the bulldozers waiting for

What were they selling, and why cant they sell it in yorubaland?

peckhamboi:

Who are those behind all these?

They know themselves.

Shebi Soyinka say disintegration don start,


Funny AGIPA people,

tpia@:

What were they selling, and why cant they sell it in yorubaland?

Haba! World never spoil reach that level o.

hmmm one nigeria indeed, but who is gonna lose most

“These illegal occupants, especially those who have been allocated alternative locations like the goat sellers, 911 Lorry park users, and so on, are hereby directed to relocate to their sites immediately as their continuous stay there amounts to obstruction of the beautification exercise.


Fashola, its time to beautify Alaba!

Its unfair of the traders to make such assertions.  Most of them have been asked to relocate but because they believe upper Iweka is more Central, they have refused.  Are there no Igbos too in that market?  On my way to Agbor over the weekend, I nearly threw up cos of the odor oozing from the goat market, such a bad sight. just like an abandoned refugee camp.

That market can never give the state government room to atleast give the state entrance a face-lift.  I think they should be agitating for the government to put the new location in other like creating accessible roads and other amenities instead of cooking lies against the governor.

Honestly they need to leave that place as soon as possible.

superior1:

“These illegal occupants, especially those who have been allocated alternative locations like the goat sellers, 911 Lorry park users, and so on, are hereby directed to relocate to their sites immediately as their continuous stay there amounts to obstruction of the beautification exercise.


Fashola, its time to beautify Alaba!

Fashola don first do am before for Yaba

Mekaboy,I respect u!why would governor Peter Obi want to dislodge any tribe?far from it.Our people need mind education .A government has power to acquire any land anywhere for the good of his state.He may decide to relocate them promptly too!

Eko Ile:

Shebi Soyinka say disintegration don start,


Funny AGIPA people,

at least you are entertained.

saintneo:

at least you are entertained.

Have you seen a lazy broom before?

Let us always promoto peace.
This news won't make any difference on who we are in Nigeria.

Hmmm!

Nigeria is not uphold by her people but by the grace of God.

@Alh. Boko haram, plz, can u tell me what we (Ndigbo) have done to u?

nonsense propaganda.
if any one here ever been to that mkt, you will even curse the gov for not hav taking this step long b4 now.

besides the hausas is about 0.6% and yorubas 0.1% of the traders in the said mkt we talk abt. while igbos is 99.3% of the mkt.
the hausas mainly sell only live hus hold animals,food stuffs, but yorubas just sell traditional charms,concursions.

yaba/oshodi case is different bcus igbos makeup of 70% of the traders there.if they complain we can reason with them.
like someone likely say: they wana throw up another hatred propaganda against igbos.

again go and see how clean igbos use to keep their mkt places but go there and see how the hausas has mess up the whole place.
the awolowo and ahmed bello actions has put nigeria on the track road of tribal sentiment in evrything no matter how good it is.

i wonder how the hausa/fulani will see it when fed govt outlaw rearing of cattles around. even as they knew many life have been taking bcus of it
a pity to my dear country.

I remember when okwadike was the governor of the state and those aboki traders used to refer to their he-goats as okwadike (cos of the beard).
They have been taking a lot of piss in the state and it's time they are moved out.

Whatever the case it might be, they should try and sort it out in a very meaningful way that will serve the interest of peace and stability of the state and the nation as a whole, rather than causing an unnecessary ethnic tensions. For those igbos who are praying for the nation separation, let me ask you this. Do you think if Nigeria have to divide today, are you expecting Edo, Niger delta to be among your states? or are you dreaming of any SS state to be among your so called awaiting biafra nation? you must be joking if that is your expectation, because those mentioned area will never be part of biafra. And also how did you guys want to govern your tiny 4 state ? who is going to be president there ? because as far as I know all igbo wanna be president or leader by all means.

LEXYLOV:

Whatever the case it might be, they should try and sort it out in a very meaningful way that will serve the interest of peace and stability of the state and the nation as a whole, rather than causing an unnecessary ethnic tensions. For those igbos who are praying for the nation separation, let me ask you this. Do you think if Nigeria have to divide today, are you expecting Edo, Niger delta to be among your states? or are you dreaming of any SS state to be among your so called awaiting biafra nation? you must be joking if that is your expectation, because those mentioned area will never be part of biafra. And also how did you guys want to govern your tiny 4 state ? who is going to be president there ? because as far as I know all igbo wanna be president or leader by all means.

You can keep Edo and lower Delta in Nigeria or Oduduwa Republic. Bayelsa is still in debate.

saintneo:

You can keep Edo and lower Delta in Nigeria or Oduduwa Republic. Bayelsa is still in debate.

i like that,bloody ACN thieves and drug pushers

i laugh when i hear what d yeribas and hausas re selling; GOAT AND CHARMS. I de laugh in onitsha.
@lexylove or what ever u call your self, who told u we want edo and delta in biafra. you can keep them to yourselve. dont forget to keep igbo part of delta for us.

Nice move by Peter Obi. These people always mess up anywhere they dwell. Give them Paris and they will turn it to Oshodi the next day

^^
And what have you done to Ladipo,Mushin? Was that not what the Council chairman was complaining about that your people started calling him a murderer?
He who lives in a glass house should not throw stones!

I wonder why people just  make noise out of nothing. Fashola threw out the Ibos selling market at Oshodi, many lost their lives. In Idimota also, ibo traders were asked to leave for Trade Fair.
For God's sake, they were asked to relocate to a new site and now they are turning to ethnic problem. Through out Nigeria, it is ONLY the Ibos that have invested MORE in other states outside their state of Origin.

That is why the Ibos  have been at the receiving end. The ibos acquire properties all over Nigeria more than any other ethnic group. This is because they love their neighbors more than any other ethnic group.
Another group that  have tried to associate or relate on a smaller note is the Yorubas. That is just the 2nd and only ethnic group in Nigeria

“These illegal occupants, especially those who have been allocated alternative locations like the goat sellers, 911 Lorry park users, and so on, are hereby directed to relocate to their sites immediately as their continuous stay there amounts to obstruction of the beautification exercise.


Fashola, its time to beautify Alaba![/i]

This is really funny! Fashola Please Spare my Alaba brethren. I need to produce Pirated WWE Raw and Smackdown CDs for me Abeg![i][flash=200,200][/flash]

@NLerz
Guyz must there always be an ethnic tone giving to every discussion/ debate? I tire o!