Market men and women operating under the umbrella of Imo State Amalgamated Market and Traders Association (ISAMATA) have embarked on a protest against the National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Joe Ajaero, lamenting that the labour leader was unmindful of the hardship they are currently facing by calling for a strike in the state.
The traders have therefore vowed to resist any attempt by the Ajaero-led Labour or any other that wants to worsen the hardship they are passing through as a result of high cost of fuel, cash crunch due to the Naira redesign and lack of power supply, among others.
Leading their members to protest to Governor Hope Uzodimma at the Government House in Owerri Friday, the President of ISAMATA, Comrade Ezeanochie Emmanuel, said Ajaero was unreasonable to have called for strike in Imo when there was no need for such, insisting that their members would resist any plan to truncate the peace in the state.
In a statement sent to Daily Trust Saturday, Oguwike Nwachuku, who is the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the governor, said his principal, Hope Uzodimma, who was unavoidably absent but was represented by his deputy, Prof. Placid Njoku, assured the leadership and members of ISAMATA of standing with them in their move towards resisting man-made difficulties they are facing in the state.
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The deputy governor reminded the traders that “the government of Senator Uzodimma has the welfare of the people as its primary business and will not stand by to see anybody come to Imo State to impose hardship on her citizens.”
Prof Njoku added that the government has been sensitive to the need of the people, reiterating that Governor Uzodimma had asked him to inform ISAMATA that “his government will stand up to resist any directive or order coming from anywhere that will impinge on the freedom and welfare and even livelihood of Imo citizens.”
