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Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
President of Anambra State Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA), Chief Ikechukwu Ekwegbalu, has said the union did not ban prayers in the markets in the state.
He said the association, during its meeting with chairmen of the markets and secretaries, agreed to suspend the weekly prayers in markets for monthly prayers in all the markets.
Ekwegbalu, who disclosed this while speaking with Daily Sun said his leadership never banned prayers in the markets as reported in some media. He noted that the union considered complaints from traders of extortion by touts during the weekly prayers and decided to make the prayers once in a month across markets.
He said the shift from weekly to monthly prayers became necessary following alleged extortion and losses incurred by the customers, who visit various markets from far.
“This move became necessary because we have discovered that some boys use this practice to extort market men and women regularly of their hard-earned resources.
“We even put it into vote in our meeting to ensure everybody was carried along and all the markets’ chairmen and secretaries supported we should shift the prayers to once in a month. We didn’t ban prayers in markets, but we only made it monthly because we know the importance of prayers in our business and in our lives, so, we can’t ban prayer,” he said.
