Scarcity of Meat Hits Abia Markets as Butchers  Embarks on Strike

Scarcity of Meat Hits Abia Markets as Butchers  Embarks on Strike

Residents of Abia are witnessing scarcity of meat as  Butchers Association, (UBA) on Thursday embarked on a protest against  the traditional ruler of  Mgbarakuma and an S.A to the governor of Abia state who they accused of planning to  forcefully eject them and take the land given to them by government.

A protest which started at Okpara square Umuahia and ended up in government House

where they were received by government officials.

Speaking, the chairman of the Association, comrade Ngozi Williams said the Association has been in Umuahia North LGA for a long time before the then military Administrator led by Col. Ike Nwosu and former Minister of Agriculture, Adamu Shiroma in 1994

relocated the slaugter to the present site at Mgbarakuma/Amuzu, Ubakala in Umuahia South LGA.

He maintained that since the inception of the  current traditional ruler of Mgbarakuma Autonomous community, HRH, Eze Ebere Ubani, Akuoma 111 of Mgbarakuma, other sons of Ubakala,  MacDonald Uba, a Senior Adviser  to the governor on security matters, Mr Ifeanyi Arusi, chief Chidi Onyekwere Ajagba among others there have been threat on them to vacant the land rightly allocated to them by government without any plan to provide an alternative place.

“We have been working in alliance with government for a very long time, both the federal, state and local government until some unscrupulous and egocentric human beings, selfish came in to claim the land belong to them.

“This group of people for some times now are troubling the butchers Association to vacate from the land saying that government had sold or  transfer the land to them and one chief MacDonald said that we should be paying revenue to him and not to the government, that the government has sold the land to him. He had earlier fenced some parts of the land claiming he is the owner.

“We are pleading on the government to intervene into the matter and save us, we are law abiding citizens and fully in support of the good governance of the present governor of Abia state, Dr Alex Otti.

Adding their voices the former chairman of the Association, Mr Akandu Ebere and an elder of the cattle market, Chief Nnomele Okiyi frown at a situation where few individuals who feel they are powerful in the community and government could gang up and begin to pursue them from their place of business which was legally acquired by government.