From Fred Itua, Abuja
Members of Apo Traders Association (ATASS), Abuja, yesterday, staged a protest and blocked the main entrance gate of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, demanding the release of land lease agreement to their permanent site.
The protesters, armed with various placards, said the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) had granted them a lease on a land proposed as a permanent site for the traders in 2015, but, up till date, the minister has refused to sign and formally release the agreement.
Chairman of the association, Chimezie Ifeh, said the traders have spent more that N100 million to process the land, held several meetings with relevant authorities, but no positive result was achieved.
Ifeh noted that the association was suspicious of the moves of some staff of FCTA, who had made some strange demands and tried to distort the allocation. He alleged that trading by the road corridors, as allowed by FCTA as a temporary measure, has been very hazardous to members of the association.
He called on the minister to sign and release the agreement, before leaving office in a few days time, in order to save the traders from untold hardship.
He also vowed that the traders will continue to engage with relevant stakeholders and also protest when necessary, until the administration fulfils its own bargain.
Also speaking, Secretary of the association, Okhueleigbe Desmond, disclosed that many of their members have died from vehicle accidents on the ever busy Apo road, because they had no conducive place for their trades. Desmond said the traders were tired of trading by the road corridors, and would want to relocate to their permanent site.
He said the FCT minister’s delay in signing and releasing the agreement was a big disservice to the traders and Nigerians.