Mill owners and traders in the popular Abakaliki Rice Milling Industry have raised the alarm over alleged conspiracy by some highly placed individuals in the State to impose another leadership on them.
The millers lamented that the past Caretaker Chairman, Samuel Ogodo, was also imposed on them.
They said the imposition of Ogodo brought retardation to the industry by his maladministration and gross incompetence, warning that further imposition of another chairman would cripple activities in the Market.
Speaking to newsmen in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, the millers and traders accused the General Manager of Ebonyi Rice World Company, a parastatal of the State Government, Mathew Uguru, of plans to manipulate elections in the mill, using his privileged position.
One of the Millers, Chief Maduka Anigor, alleged that Uguru was hatching plans to capitalise on his relationship with with one of the political chieftains in the state, Governor Governor Umahi’s brother and former South East Zonal Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Austin Umahi, to impose his choice candidates on the people or continue to fan the embers of disunity in the mill.
Anigor lamented that the alleged underground and open activities of Uguru has birthed distractions, delaying the mill from conducting their elections since the state government intervened in the affairs of the mill by removing Ogodo to restore peace in the industry.
He alleged that the Ebonyi Rice World Manager and his cohorts, who had installed the former mill chairman, had boasted that the industry would never have peaceful election unless they concede to their demand.
Anigor, who said he had spent about 30 years in the milling industry, lamented that the time spent by Ogodo as the caretaker chairman of the mill witnessed the highest level of business stagnancy, adding that they lost all their customers from rural areas due to high taxation and unnecessary extortion by boys allegedly planted by Uguru in connivance with Ogodo.
He insisted that the industry’s constitution on electing their representatives must prevail as the mill owners and traders would not want the repeat of the ugly experiences under the erstwhile imposed leadership of Ogodo.
One of the traders, who gave his name as Sylvester Ugwumba, confirmed to journalists that he stopped coming to the mill about a year ago due to excessive taxation from the immediate dissolved Caretaker Chairman.
He explained that the mill, which used to be a beehive of activities, suddenly increased prices of empty sacks, toll charges and other unnecessary extortion that was not initially found in the market.
Ugwumba narrated: “Abakaliki Rice Mill is our major place of buying rice since I started my business since past 20 years but all of a sudden things started increasing everyday.
“Empty sack that was sold for N150 for 50kg turned to N300, and 25kg, which was N100, turned to N250 and so forth, with taxes on them.
“I got a call some weeks ago that government had intervened and that normalcy has been returned.
“I came and saw by myself that normalcy has returned and prices of materials reduced to considerable amount as in other mills.”
Another stakeholder in the mill, Ignatius Chinedu, while corroborating the allegations, revealed that he has it in good authority that Uguru has forwarded some names to Austin Umahi for imposition on the Mill as new executives.
Chinedu listed Jeremiah Oduma, Chijioke Ilodiba, Emmanuel Onu and Sunday Oyota as those intended to be imposed on them as Chairman, Vice Chairman, Financial Secretary and Treasurer respectively.
Others, who commented, including Sylvanus Njoku and Ngozi Edeh, appealed for free, fair and creditable election, adding that the industry’s image has been badly affected with the last caretaker leadership, warning that imposing another group of leaders with government instrumentality as boasted by some highly positioned persons in the state would do more harm to the industry than good.
Njoku called on Governor David Umahi, whom he described as a listening leader, to intervene by ensuring that the leadership election in the mill follow the laid down rules and Constitutional provisions of the Industry.
Meanwhile, when contacted on phone over the allegations, Uguru denied having any hand in the affairs of the Mills, adding that he was not a member of the industry.
Uguru replied: “Journalist, do you believe that thing that they told you?
“Besides, am I a member of the rice Mill?”
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