Some traders from Abuja markets on Thursday besieged the headquarters of the Federal Capital Territory Administration in Abuja to demand for an end to the leadership crisis that has crippled the Abuja Markets Management Limited (AMML).
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that Alhaji Abubakar Faruk was sacked as the Managing Director of the AMML.
This followed a resolution by shareholders.
The resolution was endorsed on July 17, 2023 by Abubakar Maina, the Group Managing Director of the supervisory agency, Abuja Investments Company Limited.
Thereafter, Abbas Yakubu was appointed as the acting MD.
However, trouble began when Farouk, on July 18, stormed his former office located at Gudu District, Abuja with security personnel and locked the office, denying the acting MD access.
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The spokesman of the protesting traders, Abubakar Abdullahi, said that the crisis has thrown the traders into a state of confusion, particularly on who to recognise as the substantive MD.
Abdullahi, who is the Secretary General of the FCT Amalgamated Traders Association, said that the traders were currently confronted with conflicting orders coming from the two people, both claiming to be the MD.
He said: “We have seen a letter from Abuja Investments Company Limited terminating the contract of Mr. Abubakar Faruk as the MD of AMML.
“We have also seen another letter telling us to stop paying money to anybody.
“Which should we obey?
“AMML is the collector of all revenues in the market for the FCTA, so we want to know who is in charge.
“We want to know who exactly to pay the service charge and dues to.”
Abdullahi called for the resolution of the crisis, stressing that traders and other business operators in Abuja markets do not want to be paying service charges and other levies to the wrong people.
According to him, the FCTA needed to urgently tell the traders who among the two is the authentic MD to enable the traders to comply with revenue collections in the markets.
Also Speaking, Malam Hassan Ibrahim, Chairman Arewa Traders Association, FCT Chapter, called on Faruk to humbly vacate the office, having served as the MD for 13 years.
Addressing the protesters, Sunday Olubiyi, Head of Internal Security, FCTA, said the Administration was aware of the crisis and was doing everything possible to resolve it.
NAN reports that staff of the AMML also staged a protest over the same issue at the FCTA Headquarters on Wednesday.
The workers appealed to the Permanent Secretary, FCTA, Olusade Adesola, to expedite action towards resolving the crisis.
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