Abia Government Officials divided Over Plan To Relocate Cattle Market To Ukwa |FULL DETAILS

By Anya C. Anya

Officials attached and Working for the Abia State Government seems to be divided over the plan of the State Ministry of Trade and Investment to relocate the Cattle Market in Ogbohill axis of waterside to another location in Asa. But pitiably this division seems to have escalated to exchange of words.

As gathered by AFNEWS Investigation, some officials of the state government who are from Asa are agitating and fighting against the plan relocation , The fear among many quarters is that the land for the cattle market has been remarked and sold out for RUGA.

First Following the uproar rising from the proposed siting/relocation of cattle market at Waterside,Ogbor Hill Aba,a high-powered delegation of Ukwa West Stakeholders led by the Deputy Chief of Staff in the Office of the Deputy Governor,Sir Don Ubani met with the Deputy Governor of Abia State, RT.Hon Sir Ude Oko Chukwu,at Government House,Umuahia.

Among those in the delegation were ; the Member Representing Ukwa West State Constituency, Hon Godwin Adiele,the Honourable Commissioner for Petroleum, Chief Hon Ikpechukwu Onuoha, the Chairman, Abia State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission,ASOPADEC, Chief Sam Okezie Nwogu,the Transition Committee Chairman Designate of Ukwa West Local Government,Chief Sylvanus Nwaji,Ex- Secretary to Abia State Government, Pastor Ralph Egbu,a former Executive Chairman of Ukwa West LGA,Chief Felix Ebere,the Special Adviser to the Governor on Works,Elder Rich Nwala,the PDP Chairman,Ukwa West LGA,Hon Kingsley Enyite,the Members of Asa Development Union led by their President,Dr.Onwubiko Dike, Members of the Ukwa West Traditional Rulers Council led by their Chairman,HRH Eze Dike, among other stakeholders from Ukwa West.

The delegation while sitting in a meeting with the Deputy Governor said they came to harmonize and get clarity on the planed establishment of cattle market in their Local Government because everyone believed the real intent hiding under the agenda is RUGA.

The division and Controversy was much more fueled when Engr. Chinwe Uruakpa, a stakeholder of Asa advice the government to look for a more comfortable , convenient and favourable location for the market . Engr. Uruakpa made this appeal while responding to a recent facebook post made by the Honorable Commissioner, Ministry of Trade and Investment Rt. Hon. Cosmos Ndukwe Ph.D. According to him it is more inconveniencing citing the market in Asa, henceforth the government should reconsider it.

The basics of his argument is that the proposed relocation and nature of intended business was not supported by the leaders of the land, arguing that the State Government show make enquiry from the Leaders of the Land. Uruakpa in his hearty call urged Ndukwe to seek the opinion of Traditional Rulers of the land and other well-meaning members of the community as regards the decision which he described as rather rash.

“take note that one of the qualities of a good leader is to have a listening ear to his/her followers. Let it be on record that you listened to Asa people by relocating this Cow Market to another place that will be so conducive and convenient for that kind of business. I will humbly say that it is very important you reach out to our leaders,Traditional Rulers and even Community Heads and make your enquiry minutely, you will understand that no single Asa man will accept that Obehie should be used as a Cow Market”.

Furthermore,“sir, we dont need this Cow Market or whatever name it is called. Let me save you the stress of reading so many Government Projects that have turned to be a mirage in Asa. If the Government wants to remember Asa, they know good projects they should establish for the only Oil Producing L.G.A.Please, see this as a plea from a brother. It could be our turn to reach out to others for this entreaty today, and could be another people’s turn to reach out to one of our sons tomorrow.”

Also Sir Don Ubani described the planed project as dead and buried on arrival , while speaking the Deputy Chief of staff office of the Deputy Governor said ” Our brother and Governor, Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, Ph.D, will never contemplate siting anything in Asa land that will or could be insidious to the peace-loving people of Asa. However, some persons could, out of their natural greed and kleptomania, hide under the cloak of Government to attempt to force a cattle market on Asa people, with the connivance of one or two unscrupulously voracious elements in Asa. I had told the propagators of that adversity and illegality that their greed could see them through in other places but not and never in Asa land. Greed and quest for insatiable ransacking of the people’s common wealth must have it’s limit.”

“Governor Okezie Ikpeazu will never think of any project that could put Asa people in a serious security threat and quagmire. Any person that gives a contrary impression, is a brutal liar and hidden enemy of the Governor.”

But in a twist to the whole story , the Honourable Commissioner for Trade and Investment described the whole agitation as unnecessary, while responding to the face book post made by Don Ubani , an aide to the Honourable Commissioner for Trade and Investment Ben Udechukwu said the reaction and behavior of Don Ubani is unbecoming and a reflection of how not to be a public officer.

According to Ben Udechukwu ” you are a Deputy Chief of Staff in office of the Deputy Governor . That title is not an Alias, as it comes with enormous responsibilities.It smacks of grave irresponsibility for you to deride government officials in a manner you just did. Perhaps, you want to impress those who are yet to see the brazen inanity you pursue .”

“Note that Cosmos Ndukwe was sworn in as Commissioner for Trade and Investment on the 16th October 2019, three clear years from the earliest approvals from the Governor and Exco meetings resolution regarding relocation of the Cattle Market Ogborhill to Obehie. If you think carrying out the Exco’s instruction translates to greed and kleptomaniac tendencies, I am afraid you wasted so much time going to school.”

” Stop being foul mouthed. Stop making your personal opinion look like government position. Stop being economical with the truth. Stop denigrating your colleagues just to look good and better. You were part of those who facilitated the movement of the Cattle Market from Umuahia to Unuchieze. I hope it was greed and kleptomania that inspired you to take that route.It was government decision to revoke that land and it was duly revoked. Government also stated the purpose for which the revocation was done. Tell the reading public who is parcellating that land at this time, in disregard of government decision. Apart from you,”he concluded.

It will also interest you to note that the Abia state government has also denied reports that it is relocating the cattle market at Aba waterside along Ikot Ekpene road, Aba, to Obehie in Ukwa West council area, for RUGA settlement. Dr Cosmas Ndukwe, who disclosed this in a statement, explained that government has a commitment to ensure that motorists and pedestrians are saved from struggling daily at the Aba waterside area and that is the reason why it became imperative that the cattle market should be relocated.

It is therefore false, malicious and an attempt to pitch the government against the people when miscreants and tout described the plan relocation as having a RUGA undertone. Ndukwe stated that those behind the reports had assumed that a cattle market is the same as RUGA settlement.In his words; “The relocation of Cattle Market from Aba Waterside to Obehie will beyond anything else ensure that motorists and pedestrians are saved from struggling with cattle every morning, afternoon and evening at Aba Waterside, The Governor deserves commendation for mustering sufficient political will to recover Aba Waterside from years of menace. The most acceptable thing to do is to support this genuine effort that seeks to save lives, improve our hygiene and make trading less hazardous.”