Soludo's Aide, Onitsha Market Leadership, Embezzlement Threatening Lives Of Yuletide Returnees, Road Users

Soludo's aide, Onitsha market leadership, embezzlement threatening lives of yuletide returnees, road users

By Chuks Collins, Awka

Dec 25,2025

Except a last minute reprieve from Gov Chukwuma Soludo, peace and smooth yuletide would not be guaranteed in Onitsha, the commercial hub of the South East geopolitical zone and environs this season. 

Danger signal that all was not well followed series of frantic announcements by the Special Adviser to governor on Parks/Market, Chief Evaristus Ubah that the Iron Dealers Market, Atani Rd must relocate by Dec 31,2025 or be forcefully moved out. 

Chief Ubah, according to the announcement ordered the about one thousand traders to relocate within 14 days or have themselves to blame. He insisted that the traders must relocate out of the place before December 31,2025.

So to draw the governor's attention if he was not yet aware,  journalists visited the Iron Dealers Market yesterday to see the situation first hand.

It was overlooking the Atani Road Highway clearly far away from the road. 

The traders while fielding questions from reporters disclosed that they had designed and built the place, from the beginning giving room for their car park, another big space where the lorries and containerised goods were loaded and off-loaded without any  hindrance to or from anyone. 

Leadership and Stakeholders of market union including Ezebuofor Linus, the Vice Chairman told journalists that when Gov Soludo listed markets that need to relocate out of their present site, the Iron Dealers Market, Atani Rd was never among.

Celestine Uzochukwu Okafor who is the Financial Secretary who gave the historical detail of the market pointed out that the market was purely purpose-built, as the design, and every precaution took into account the future development of the area including roads and growth so as to eschew clustering. 

He disclosed that it was for sake of expansion and where to host new entrants especially the young ones who graduated from apprenticeship that adviced the idea of additional space. The new complimentary site was then secured and collectively paid for in full through general contribution. 

He expressed the shock of members when after agreeing to develop the new site, the then chairman - Nnaemeka Onuzulike started seeing himself as their landlord. Such that he even stopped relating with, briefing or taking the members into account. 

When they invite him to know what was going on, he ignored them. And to avoid unpleasant situation they dragged him to the State government, still he ignored every move. He was also taken to court alongside his cotravellers but he allegedly jettisoned all injunction, orders or directives. 

Deacon Zebulun Ifediorah expressed dismay at the stance of Chief Evaristus Ubah who he described as a personal friend and brother who he noted that unilaterally listed the Iron Dealers market, Atani Rd as one of the markets Gov Soludo ordered to relocate. 

Investigating further, the traders accused Ubah as merely playing a gun for hire. That in the union's effort to recover their Nteje site from Onuzulike and his cohorts who invaded the land outside their given mandate alleged that the Governor 's Adviser was visibly hired and compromised to hide under the canopy of government to cause disaffection within the members. 

Ifeanyi Nnanwuno, the Public Relations Officer therefore appealed to Soludo to in the spirit of yuletide step into the matter and drawn the line to avoid the impending crisis. 

He restated their suspicion of compromise which he alleged could have been reason Chief Ubah was now vehement on forcing them to move. He pointed out that their number was above 600 while the now controversial space they were forcing to go was for 400 shops. 

The traders noted that because of the disagreement with Onuzulike, case of which is currently pending in in the State High Court, they allegedly suspected he now co-opted Ubah to use government machinery to force them to take up the spaces in the new extension at inflated price of N3.7m instead of the the initial N1. 45m agreed earlier

When contacted for comment, Chief Ubah described his action as mere conveying the directive of State government and that he gave them enough notice.