Metro Delta Government Accused of Violating Market Women's Rights

Sandra Chiefe

Moderator
Market women in Ughelli, Delta state and civil rights groups have accused Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s administration of violating women's rights as the government reportedly proceeds with a plan to evict traders from a 50-year old market that has been slated for demolition. The plan has drawn condemnation from women traders across the state as well as civil groups, espcially as the rent for market stalls would increase from N1,500 to N30,000 each year.

The Niger Delta Women’s Movement for Peace and Development (NDWPD) has characterized the state government as a “violator” of women’s rights on account of the planned demolition and relocation of the market.

In a press statement signed by its national president, Caroline Usikpedo-Omoniye, the group described the action as “mere wickedness, unlawful, unethical and a violation of the rights of the traders especially the market women who are the majority in the goods market,” adding that there was little or no “citizen engagement and participation” in the decision. The release explained that the “rights of the market women and other people will be infringed upon should government chose to use any forceful means in evicting the market women, or bringing down the market.”

The NDWPD’s leader, who is also the Nigerian representative of the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) for women empowerment, stated that the women were willing to relocate to a temporary site if the government truly wished to rebuild the market as some government officials have claimed. She added that the Iwhreko community and the Ughelli kingdom were ready to provide a location for the temporary market.

The so-called ultra modern market built by the government was yet to be completed, pointing to the absence of ceilings and other vital amenities. Some protesters said the reported completion of the market was a fraudulent scheme signed on paper. Relocation would render more than 800 women traders economically and socially vulnerable.

The protesters claim that the government’s plan market re-allotment program would engender poverty. “The amount of economic loss will be enormous because we women run our businesses on micro-credit and loans from micro-finance and commercial banks. And we service these loans with quick turn-over from our businesses.”
 
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