By Nwokoma Ndubueze
One strongly believes that Imo State government always engages the vendors at the Old Garden Park space on ring boxing with their security personnel is not a good fight. If the state government thinks that the vendors have gone astray by occupying the Old Garden Park space opposite the Government House in Owerri, a diplomatic approach ought to have been better employed than the seeming confrontational approach on the innocent Vendors who are seeking for their daily bread, and at the same time contributing into the growth of the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR of the state because government agencies collect tolls from them, and some of them pay their taxes to the state. Outside these revenues, the vendors are helping to dessiminate
information in the state by selling newspaper. Even the government easily buys newspapers from them, as such they are contributing meaningfully to the socio-economic and political development of the state, or to public enlightenment, as well as educating the people.
Though it is not only the newspaper vendors who are seen at the Old Garden Park. There are other petty vendors like those selling stationery, bottled groundnuts, banana, kolanuts and POS. These are instant items people demand as passers-by going or coming out of the Government House or from the State Police command, the banks and the Correctional Centre.
In recent days, it appears to have become the attitude of some security men on uniforms running into these innocent citizens, that’s the vendors, allegedly harassing, them, allegedly smashing their wares, and also breaking their tables, including pulling away their umbrella. This could be seen as undemocratic practice, it should be condemned by Governor Hope Uzodinma, under whose tenure these such alleged ugly acts are perpetuated on the downtrodden at this particular time Imolites are experiencing untold hardship.
It is expected that a government with the aim of rehabiliting recovering
and reconstruction which is the 3Rs mantra, should have a human face rather than the present approach. Why should human beings destroy their fellow human beings goods and services when it is well known that all things are not equal in the state?
When it is very conspicuous that the vendors are not doing that business at affluence. Sometimes circumstances could cause someone to be engaged on business that is below the person’s standard in order to earn a living, especially nowadays it is difficult to gain better standard of living in Imo State, even in Nigeria. Human beings are trading with their noses. Many are managing their lives with whatever that comes their way in order to run away from crime.
It is also obvious that these vendors are not constituting causing obstructions or nuisance as their stands are far from the main roads and the walk ways. Neither are they obstructing traffic for someone to say that there are always traffic jams. The area where they ply their trade is never littered with garbage to say it is unkept. However or whatever be government’s reasons are best known to the all-knowing God.
So, if Imo State government means to achieve rehabilitation, recovery and reconstruction, the best plan is to provide alternative location to these vendors, and also gently move them to the new site peacefully, without street fighting. Government will not win any world title by beating the vendors. Instead, it will smear Governor Hope Uzodinma’s image, as anti 3R government.
Imo State presently desires peace, and also government that will fasttrack massive empowerment programs for self – employment, since the white collar jobs are hardly found this time around. The question remains: what shall it profit the 3R government in this seeming confrontational acts on the vendors b when there is no alternative location provided for them?
