Ex-Ochanja Market Chairman, Traders on War Path over Ownership of ‘Provisions Plaza’

By Praise Chinecherem

Traders operating at Provision Line, now Provision Plaza, and their immediate former chairman, Sunday Okechukwu, are currently on war path over ownership of a multi-million gigantic shop plaza at Ochanja market.

The warring parties claimed they invested millions of their hard earned monies into the plaza construction project sited at Menax, Ochanja market axis, Onitsha South Local Government area, Anambra State.

Consequently the traders’ plot to stage a protest was said to have been aborted by the police sequel to insecurity situation which miscreants and street urchins might capitalize on and infiltrate to cause harm to the protest believed to be peaceful.

Addressing news at the controversial plaza, Caretaker committee chairman of the Provision Plaza, Chukwunonso Abraham said, “I was assisting Sunday as Vice chairman before our tenure ended and I am now the chairman, caretaker committee of Provision Plaza.

“Modebe Enterprises (family), of Onitsha, is the owner of the two storey building where we were doing our trading and the family decided to make the place a modern building by giving out the place on lease for 50 years to whoever that was interested in demolishing it to build a modern plaza.

“So the former chairman, Sunday Okechukwu gave us the information and we welcomed it. He said since we agreed to take the building for us to own it that we should contribute up to Two Million Naira (N2, 000,000) to refund it to somebody who had paid earlier as part payment for the building that Modebe family preferred our taking it since we are the ones trading there.

“We were tasked N13,000 each trader and those who couldn’t pay immediately were fined N100,000 and the money was refunded to the person. Our problem started when Sunday (Okechukwu) will every two weeks demand N1million from each trader and the money is paid into his personal account without any objection because we believe he was carrying us along.

“On the three or more occasion when he demanded for another N1million we resolved that he should render account of the project and he refused and before you know it each person has contributed N5million.

“We took him to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Enugu, which told him to render account of stewardship that it was not a personal property but he claimed that the agreement to build the plaza was between him and Modebe family which was false.

“The agreement is between Modebe family and traders of Provision line and the family is to bear us witness that there was nothing like personal agreement.

“Not satisfied when we returned, we were still planning on next line of action to take when a member of the Modebe family in sympathy to us, petitioned IGP and Sunday was picked to Abuja.

“It was in Abuja that he presented two agreements, a personal one and another between Provision line and the family with the personal one superceding the provision line agreement with Modebe family. As the matter is still pending we planned to protest this criminality so that Governor Chukwuma Soludo will come to our rescue”, he explained.

In their remarks, other executives of the market, and chieftains that include, Stanley Ejimofor-secretary, Christian Igwebuike-former chairman, Lotenna Onusoluogu-treasurer, and Chizoba Ekwunife, corroborated the view of the caretaker committee chairman and urged governor Soludo and good spirited individuals to come to their rescue.

In a swift reaction when contacted, the embattled Sunday Okechukwu denied all the allegations leveled against him maintaining that he used his money which he borrowed from bank to build the edifice in question.

Speaking through his counsel, Barr. Uche Obi, he said, “The allegations are not new to us,” stating that an interloper from Modebe family stumbled into an existing contractual relationship to instigate the traders against Sunday Okechukwu.

According to the counsel to Sunday, “Two things were involved, the association was not registered and another is that the mandate to build the plaza is four months and Sunday had to buckle up financially because agreement is agreement or lose the money put so far.

“If it were another developer that is handling the project nobody will pay less than N10 million. Sunday has to raise money from somewhere to continue the work as nobody could raise N1 million.

“The traders were paying instalmentally, it was not their money that was used to build the edifice, Sunday is still owing from where he borrowed money. What is the protest for, nobody who paid lost his shop, when Sunday started this project they said it was a scam. some said embezzlement, which money did Sunday embezzle to build the edifice.

“Even Sunday was against N1 million cola demanded by Modebe family. The N1 million was it not paid into Modebe family account. , this is cheap blackmail. Sunday is not even interested in their chairmanship seat, he has used his money to invest.

“What is the protest for, is it that business is not going on in the plaza,is it that he did not build the plaza,” he queried.