By Osaretin Osadebamwen, Abuja
Business activities was paralyzed in the early hours of Thursday in Abuja as traders marched round their market in a peaceful protest against the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), over practices that they said contravenes the transformation agenda of the President Goodluck Jonathan Administration.
Consequently, the traders called on the Federal Capital Territory Administration to intervene on the matter and resolve it so as not to kill their businesses by through multiple charges the AEPB is bent on enforciing.
The traders alleged that the AEPB has offered itself as an available and willing-tool to the Management of Kaura Modern Market, Berwick Nigeria Limited to enforce multiple service charges on them thereby frustrating the low patronage experienced operating in the market.
Marching in protest over what they termed multiple charges by the Board, Chairman, Kaura Modern Market Traders Association, Mr. Patrick Akudolu said their protest is to demand explanation from the AEPB and Kaura modern market managers on why they are subjected to multiple charges for the same service already charged to their rental and other sundry charges.
The traders who protested round the market ended it at the DD 6 venue of the mobile Court within the market where the Senior Magistrate 2, Musa Abdulrazaque Eneye, of Court 3 Magistrate Court Wuse Zone 2 had arrived to commence trial of offenders.
The Court which was due to seat at 12 noon could not seat as the magistrate was ferried out in a Peugeot Expert with registration number plate CT 134 –C28 when the protesting traders terminated their protest at the venue of the mobile court.
Stressing his point, Akudolu said they had written a letter to the AEPB to explain the rationale for being willing tool in the hands of the management of the market to compel traders for payment of charges the Board’s response was sealing of shops and trial of offenders.
The letter dated 17 July 2014, titled: “Does Your Board Now collect Service Charges in Kaura Modern Market Duboyi Abuja” reads in part: “We represent the traders of the Above named Market, some of whom your Board took to Mobile court for failure to pay service charge.
“If the meaning of the summon is that we now pay our service charge to your Board, please let us know so we gladly do that or if your Board now collects Waste disposal charge directly, please let us know, we shall be willing to comply with you”, the letter enquired.
The protesters bore Placards reading “Goodluck help stop corruption”’ “Stop intimidating traders with mobile court”, “Stop poor management”, “we pay service charges to Berwick Nigh Ltd not AEPB”, among others.
Responding to the traders, the Business Development Manager, Berwick Nigeria Limited, Sir, Uche Ukaigwe said that the management of Kaura Modern market was only using the AEPB to enforce the legal payment of service charges which the traders defaulted in paying as they are not an enforcement agency.
When contacted on Phone, the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, AEPB spokesman said the AEPB is a statutory agency of government and cannot use a third party to receive revenue for the Federal government and noted that if there be mix up somewhere it can be settled.
