From David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
The Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders’ Association (ASMATA), Conflict Resolution Committee has advised petitioners against the President-General of the association, Chief Humphrey Anuna to have a rethink.
The committee led by Chief Eric Uwaoma, Chairman, and Comrade Peter Okala, Secretary, Thursday, urged those it described as faceless petition writers against Chief Anuna, to turn a new leaf as their petition against the PG, according to the committee, would not deter him from taking traders in the State to the next level.
The committee reminded them that it was in the time of the incumbent PG that peace for the first time was restored and the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) base increased in all the markets in the State which it said was before now unachievable as money generated went to private pockets.
“The attention of the office of the peace and conflict resolution committee of the ASMATA has been drawn to a praise publication to the President General of the ASMATA, from the faceless organization, called, “Anambra Traders Ambassador and Anambra State Traders Stakeholders”, for allegedly being fingered in collaboration with an employee of Anambra State government to have diverted funds belonging to the State government and three percent incentives for ASMATA executive.
“Ordinarily, the said praise publication in some social media ought to have been ignored but for the motivation it entails for the individual and association mentioned in the supposedly unsubstantiated allegations that amounted to praise.
“Mr Governor is invited to observe that the said false and malicious allegations have announced the final frustration and total fall of the opposition and liars in Anambra State.
“When the liars and opposition gather to carry out their nefarious activities having been paid heavily by the money bags and enemies of progress in Anambra State to spite on the face of patriotic individuals and institutions and it turned out in praise , implies that ‘solution’ is here for real.
“The committee observed that the so called faceless opposition failed to appreciate the doggedness of the State government to wrestle with the money bags in Anambra State who have before now taken custody of eighty five percent of the IGR and holding successive administrations to the jugular and using same for expensive convoys and exotic houses abroad while the State wallows in abject poverty.
“The committee observed that the faceless opposition who are sponsored by these defeated money bags suddenly came up with allegations of diversion of State funds by the very individuals and institutions who worked in partnership with the State government to make a historic improvement in IGR since the creation of Anambra State.
“These opposition and faceless organisations should bury their face in shame and accept defeat. Anambra State government and her authorised partners towards IGR collection are still busy working out an appropriate benchmark for the State IGR and have not hired any faceless organisation to monitor diversion.
“Assuming but not conceding that the faceless opposition organization meant well for Ndi Anambra for having a government of transparency and accountability that has improved the level of IGR from N300m to a whooping N3 bilion from only traders in Anambra State , they should have poured encomiums to ASMATA and Chief Anuna’s leadership.
“Even from their own calculation only three percent of the total IGR is their problem which shows that the ninety seven percent of the total sum was remitted which shows an excellent performance on the side of ASMATA and Chief Anuna’s leadership
“These elements should be thinking about what kind of presentation and honour to be given to ASMATA and her leadership as a mark of appreciation and motivation for parading an excellent partnership with the greatest government in the history of Anambra State.
“The committee wishes to call on the faceless opposition organisation not to cry more than the bereaved over the three percent incentives from the State government as the ASMATA executive members are more concerned about the ninety seven percent of the total IGR to the State government and would only settle down to celebrate after the work is completely done.
“It would be proper for any good Samaritan to solicit for the three percent for the executive members when the numbers are correct and the work completely done.
“Rather than deliberately casting aspersions to the patriotic individuals and institutions, ASMATA leadership should be commended for the peace in the eighty five percent of all the markets in Anambra State against the ugly situation in the markets previously that led to the government dissolving leadership of thirty one markets in one single day .
“Mr Governor is once again invited to celebrate the fall of the opposition in Anambra State and honour the ASMATA leadership with a merit award as a mark of motivation to do more as the declaration of Mr Governor to partner with traders remains sacrosanct,” they said.