HAPPENING NOW: Market Women Protest Against Aregbesola’s Imposed Weighing Scales
A section of women at Igbona Market in Olorunda Local Government Area of Osun state, on Thursday, staged a peaceful demonstration to protest against the ultimatum given by the Osun state government over the use of weighing scale known as ‘Osuwon Omoluabi’.
The less than 100 women under the aegis of Igbona Market Women Petty Traders Association, closed their shops and stormed the Government Secretariat, Abere armed with their measuring bowls.
Recall that in a bit to standardize trade activities in the state, the state government of Osun had introduced weighing scale and encouraged all market in the state to align with this policy.
The policy which was introduced about a year ago with the support of various market leaders across the state when operational, will end the imbalance in the measurement of goods in the markets.
Though the government through representative of market associations had agreed to allow timeline frame of one year for the policy to take effect on their members, but the market women had pleaded with government to extend the enforcement.
The government had subsidized the scaling for the market women, a development that cause the government to carried the larger burden.
Addressing the protesters, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Commerce, Hon. Simeon Olufemi Popoola, noted that the government will look into the pleadings of the traders.
Nigeria is the only country amongst its neighbours without standardized measuring scales for its trading activities
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The government is being responsible to reduce chap practices by some traders who usually shortchanged buyers through their measurement bowls. It is hard for typical Nigerian to embrace change particularly when it will benefit majority rather than few individuals.
For those who care to know, there is more to this protest than meet the eye. The Osuwon Omoluabi was first introduced in 2014 and 30 LG Iyalojas lauded the initiative but I am surprise now why some members of the trader unions would thronged to the street to protest what they initially supported. Hence, Osun West Senatorial election is fast approaching and politicians will do anything possible to instigate for political gain. Just imagine why not protest last year or weeks ago?
I honestly don’t get how these people think. They are opposing a government that is putting these in their best interest?
It’s obviously not them doing this single handedly. This is shocking, who is to benefit from the weighing scales if not them.
They don’t understand how much the governor is trying his best to make sure the state has a unified purpose even to having collective weighing scale is part of it. The State government is just trying to imbibe change into the system; they should at least appreciate his effort.