Men of Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA) stormed a newspapers’ stand at Aroma junction, along the federal and state secretariats, on Thursday, impounding copies on display.
They asked the vendors to move to shops and stop displaying newspapers in public places in Awka.
Papers taken away by the government officials included The Sun, Daily Trust, Vanguard, Leadership, News Direct, The Nation, Guardian, Business news, Blue Print, New Telegraph and Standard Trust.
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One of the vendors who spoke to Daily Trust, Mrs Nancy Madugwunna, said it was very sad that the Governor Charles Soludo-led administration was trying to push them out of business.
She said government officials bought papers from them and wondered why the government would want to move them away from the open space.
Madugwunna said that everywhere in the country, newspapers vendors stayed in open kiosks and Anambra State should not be different.
“I have been in this business for many years and no government has stopped us from displaying newspapers at the Aroma junction newspapers’ stand. This news stand is older than Anambra State. I have not heard about newspapers vendors renting shops to sell papers,” she said.
According to her, the taskforce officials seized her papers worth over N85,000, lamenting that she did not know how to pay the media houses whose papers were confiscated.
She said the government had earlier destroyed their shades, kiosks and tables.
“What is Soludo government trying to achieve by trying to stop public sale of newspapers in Awka? Why is the government pursuing us? In all the states, newspapers are displayed in public kiosks and not in shops. We are not books sellers,” she stated.
The Chairman of Anambra State chapter of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Dr Odugwu Emeka Odugwu, said that it is not possible for newspaper vendors to stay in shops to sell newspapers.
According to him, journalists and vendors work in partnership for development of society.
He said that journalists write stories about society and the vendors sell the papers, noting that if published news is not read, it amounts to nothing.
“It is not normal to clamp down on newspaper vendors in any sane state. Government should know that journalists, vendors and government work together for the good of society,” he stated.
But the Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Christian Aburime, justfied the raid, saying the vendors should comply with the ACTDA’s directive and move to shops.
“They should not be constituting nuisance to the public by displaying newspapers on the streets,” he said.
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