Market women in Oyo State under the aegis of Conference of Iyalojas, has raised an alarm that Princess Folasade Nurudeen popularly known as Abeo Osa is out to destabilize the existing peace and unity among traders in the state.
The group in a release signed by its Secretary who is also the Iyaloja of Ogbomosoland, Alhaja Rafata Wahaab, described Princess Nurudeen, as a virus brought illegally and fraudulently into traders’ family by betrayers and rebellions who conspired to destabilise existing unity among the traders.
According to her, Princess Nurudeen has been warned severally to desist from parading herself as a member of traders in Oyo State, stating that her claimed group, Market Traders Association of Nigeria (MATAN), is not known in the state as it is an ignoble thought to intrude into a registered association in an unconstitutional manner.
She said by going out to position herself for a position that she is not qualified among the traders is a mere wishful thinking, noting that she needs to learn the robe by starting from the scratch and moving up gradually.
The statement reads, “We are more than ready to checkmate the illegal activities of Princess Folasade Nurudeen, popularly called Abeo Osa, who was planted by insignificant rebellions among the traders to overturn the peace and harmony enjoy by traders in Oyo State, otherwise they will keep misleading unsuspecting members of the public.
“It is not impossible that Folasade and her fellow conspirators are ignorance of what the title Iyaloja, Babaloja, Iyaloja-General and Babaloja-General stand for due to their unfamiliarity with the operation of traders’ associations in Oyo State, hence they misinterpreted trade and market titles for honourary or traditional titles. Otherwise, how could someone who has never participated in traders’ union or association activities in the last 20 years be dreaming of leading traders in a Pacesetters state, a state blessed with highly cerebral people.
“Unfortunately the association approached by Folashade and her associates to save her from embarrassment is not also known to us in Oyo State. We challenge the said association to publish names of their members out of over 2.5 million traders in Oyo State together with the receipts and waybills of all transactions done in the last seven years for investigation.
“The most pathetic of it all is the ignorance exhibited by the association planning to instal her as the Iyaloja-General of Oyo State/Southwest. Individual association has no right nor capacity to install anybody as Iyaloja-General, all women from various market places are under the leadership of Iyaloja-General, irrespective of their various associations. Only the conference of Iyalojas and Babalojas from the 33 local government councils and five geopolitical zones in Oyo State has the sole right to appoint Iyaloja-General.
“It is also pertinent to make this clarification that leaders of all recognised traders associations in Oyo State are on the board of Oyo State Traders Advisory Council recently constituted and inaugurated by the state governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, why is MATAN (Folasade’s association) not represented on the board?
“We would have ignored her and her people but as trader bodies, constitutionally registered under Nigerian constitution we have the responsibility of protecting our members, government agencies, corporate organisations, banks, multinational firms, members of the public and politicians, especially now that electioneering process has commenced ahead of 2023 elections.
“No one can emerge as the head of traders in Oyo State without previously held various positions in the association he or she belongs. For instance, the current Iyaloja-General of Oyo State, Alhaja Saratu Aduke (Konibaje), has held various positions in the past, from unit to local government, zonal and state, in actual facts she is till date the President of Agriculture Produce Sellers Association in Oyo State. She was among the first set of traders that started Bodija International Market some decades ago.
“We therefore warn politicians, government agencies, corporate organisations, banks, NGO, manufacturers, importers and exporters, as well as farmers to investigate properly on who they will relate with on market, trade and farm issues. We are making our complaints public to save people and organisations from commiting their money, goods and properties to people without addresses.”
Meanwhile, Alhaja Wahaab, while speaking with journalists in Ibadan, after the monthly meeting of the Iyaloja-Generals from the 33 local government areas and five geopolitical zones in the state, described Princess Folasade Nurudeen, as an intruder and a disgrace to the pacesetter state.
She said, “We have severally warned Princess Folasade to desist from parading herself as a member of traders in Oyo State. It’s an ignoble thought to intrude into a registered association in an unconstitutional manner and conniving with women of no integrity to make herself Iyaloja-General of Southwest after failing woefully in Oyo State.
“It’s also shameful that an organisation that claimed to be traders’ body, though not known to us in Oyo State, could be engaging in this kind of fraudulent activity which can lead to legal tussle.”
