*Don’t allow Saraki’s desperate impunity, insecurity stand – CACINI
By KEMI KASUMU and Agency reports
Although Kwara State launch of TraderMoni by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was a success on Friday, The DEFENDER learned that Senate President Bukola Saraki, Kwara State Government controlled and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by him had tried the day before to disrupt the pre-launch disbursement of the TraderMoni N10,000 disbursement in Mandate Market in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
This was as thugs wearing ‘PDP Atikulated T-shirts’ reportedly invaded the market with intent to disrupt the disbursement ongoing in the market on Thursday, scaring away petty traders whom the scheme was meant to benefit and the TraderMoni agents handling the scheme.
They were however said to have met with stiff resistance as some of the beneficiaries, angered by the shameful act, refused to leave the market.
Beneficiaries, who later attended the launch at the Ipata Market during the visit of VP Osinbajo, were also said to have resisted the confusion Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed of the state had tried to cause asking them to shun the scheme.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that as early as 9am, the hoodlums stormed the Mandate Market, insisting that the TraderMoni scheme could not be conducted, because the Senate President Bukola Saraki’s father donated the land to the state government to build the market.
While the suspected PDP thugs were doing that in Ilorin, their suspected sponsors were at the South West zonal presidential campaign of their presidential candidate telling the Yoruba race not to allow President Muhammadu Buhari and his deputy, Yemi Osinbajo, buy their conscience with N10,000.
It will be recalled that both PDP and Bukola Saraki-led National Assembly had publicly said once that there was nothing like TraderMoni scheme before they later said that the N10,000 making up the scheme was only given to APC members meaning their u-turn from their disrecognition of the TraderMoni.
At the TraderMoni launch in Ilorin on Friday, Osinbajo however lampooned the opposition with revelation that the National Assembly headed by the same Saraki and controlled by the same opposition PDP approved the Social Intervention Programme (SIP) that is the TraderMoni scheme.
Reacting to why PDP thugs could disrupt a Federal Government programme on the grounds that the land on which the market it was being held belongs to Olusola Saraki, father of their National Leader, Bukola Saraki, a respondent told The DEFENDER said it was pure sign of loss of commonsense and lacking in focus on the part of PDP to so claim and act.
“Don’t forget that the roads these PDP people plied to attend their shameful campaign in Ibadan where they no more or less than death wishes for Buhari and Osinbajo and campaign using unfounded ‘hunger’ were constructed by Federal Government under three years the same Buhari they tried to block from holding TraderMoni disbursement programme on a land purportedly claim to be owned by their father. They are pasting their posters on these roads they awarded, took money for but failed to construct in 16 years. What if APC now want to be as mischievous as they are and begin to block them from moving on those roads? With there be any breathing space for any PDP politician in Nigeria therefore? But they can do their own now. When they get legal treatment for their evil, they will cry persecution,” he said.
It was not clear whether the Ilorin PDP thugs were sent by anyone or whether they were mere party zealots, working on their own. Observers, however, cold not dissociate sponsorship considering that the action tallied with what the main PDP leaders including Saraki’s, whose purported land they were fighting for, were saying at their campaign in Ibadan same day.
APC had in recent statement alerted security agents that PDP were planning to cause confusion that would make the coming elections impossible for INEC.
According to witnesses, including Bank of Industry (BOI) officials, who were at the Ilorin market to supervise the enumeration and disbursement of the N10,000 collateral free loans, the arrival of the thugs at Mandate Market caused some uproar.
The thugs also intimidated the petty traders who had lined up to participate in the programme. Many of the traders were palpably annoyed and refused to leave the market.
Calm was restored with intervention of the police.
At the Ipata Market, where enumeration and disbursement of the TraderMoni loans were also going on, market leaders reportedly rebuffed pressure from some officials of the state, urging them to shun the enumerators. The programme went on without incident.
Officials of the Bank of Industry told newsmen that enumeration had been going on in the two markets in Kwara State in the last few days, without incident until today (Thursday).
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who was expected in the markets on Friday December 7 a day after the PDP thugs invasion, eventually made it and the TraderMoni launch in the markets recorded successes as Kwara State people in the state capital glowing sang praises of the Muhammadu Buhari leadership and commitment of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo whose office is charged with the administration of the Social Intervention Programme (SIP).
According to NAN, TraderMoni, which is part of the Federal Government’s Social Investment Programme (N-SIP) under GEEP, is designed to assist petty traders across the country expand their trade through the provision of collateral and interest-free loans from N10,000.
The loans are repayable over a period of six months at which point the traders on repayment will receive a fresh N15,000 loan, which rises to N20,000 when repaid.
The microcredit scheme, which has since beenformally launched nationwide and the FCT, is expected to reach two millionpetty traders by the end of the year.
It will be recalled the Ontario, Canada based Crusade Against Corruption and Indiscipline in Nigeria Initiative (CACINI) had alerted that as Kwara people are now determined to end the reign of Saraki dynasty in the state, that Saraki would be so desperate doing anything to retain his relevance.
CACINI, whose President is Mr. Waheed Seriki, however prepared the mind of both APC national and state and people of Kwara to remain resolute as to not allow the Senate President succeed.
It also urged the Federal Government ensure adequate security in the sate as many impunity cases would crop up by the desperation of Saraki which it said should not be allowed to stand.
