TRACKING>>Suspected agents of the Ogun State government, yesterday, disrupted the planned disbursement of Trader Moni scheme of the Federal Government at the popular Lafenwa market in Abeokuta, the state capital.
The incident, which caused pandemonium in the market, deepened the rivalry between supporters of Governor Ibikunle Amosun and the state’s All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Prince Dapo Abiodun.
New Telegraph gathered that officials handling the Trader Moni disbursement had started compiling names of prospective beneficiaries at the stall of Iyaloja of Lafenwa, Alhaja Ramotalai Olatunji, when they were allegedly dispersed by state agents.
The agents were said to have been led by the chairman of Abeokuta North West Local Council Development Area, Hon. Sorunke Monsuru, and some leaders of the Allied People’s Movement (APM).
Amosun is supporting the APM governorship candidate in the state, Hon. Adekunle Akinlade, to succeed him.
Sources said hundreds of traders had yesterday thronged the venue of the Trader Moni within the market to register their details in the hope of accessing the collateral-free loan towards expanding their business activities.
Some APC chieftains loyal to Abiodun were said to be at the venue trying to sensitize on the importance and modalities of the loan scheme.
However, the programme had yet to fully commence when the local government chairman invaded the place with government agents and stopped it.
He was said to have whisked the Iyaloja away with a warning to dissociate the market from the programme, after which he gave her undisclosed sums of money to distribute as compensation to traders in the market.
But when contacted on phone yesterday, Monsuru denied the allegation that he disrupted the scheme and also gave money to market leaders to share for traders.
The council boss explained that his visit to the market was informed by allegation that some people were secretly collecting the Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) of traders ahead of the general elections.
He said: “I was in front of the governor (Amosun) when we heard that some people came to Lafenwa collecting people’s PVCs from the traders with their names and PVCs numbers and governor said we should go out and find out.
“It was governor that sent us. I was in front of the governor when we heard the information. So, I collected Iyaloja’s phone number from Hon. Akintona. We took Iyaloja to the governor’s house along with Babaloja of Lafenwa.
“We believe it was wrong for them to come and collect people’s PVCs with numbers before election day. That was what they came to do at Lafenwa.”
