"They Took Council Workers and Politicians, Neglecting Us" — Obanliku Market Women Protest

There was tension in Sankwala, the headquarters of Obanliku Local Government Area of Cross River State, as angry market women locked up their shops and staged a protest over what they described as their exclusion from a recent empowerment programme organized by the wife of Governor Bassey Otu in Calabar.

The women, who shut down business activities for about three hours, said they were protesting the alleged replacement of genuine market traders with politicians and council workers during the distribution of empowerment packages.

Holding discussions in groups and refusing to open their shops, the women insisted that those who benefited from the programme did not represent the true market women of Obanliku.

According to one of the protesters, the empowerment exercise failed to reach the people it was meant for.

"They took council workers and politicians to Calabar to receive the free packages while we, the real market women, were left behind," she said.

Another woman questioned how people could claim to represent market women while the traders themselves remained in the market on the day of the event.

"Obanliku market no dey two. We can't be here and there at the same time," she said angrily.

The protesters alleged that the programme, which was designed to support grassroots traders and small business owners, was turned into a political gathering where benefits allegedly went to politically connected individuals instead of women who trade daily to support their families.

Several of the women said they felt embarrassed and ignored after hearing that Obanliku had supposedly been represented at the event.

They argued that empowerment programmes should not be politicized and warned that initiatives meant for struggling traders would lose credibility if beneficiaries are selected based on political affiliation rather than genuine need.

"Empowerment should not become politics. If it is for market women, then market women should benefit," one resident who observed the protest said.

The demonstration attracted the attention of residents and passersby, many of whom gathered around the market to listen to the women's complaints.

As the protest continued, the Chairman of the Trade Union in Obanliku, Mr. Wayas Adah, arrived at the market after receiving reports that members of a branch under his union were protesting.

Addressing the women, he appealed for calm and assured them that their grievances would be taken to the appropriate authorities.

He promised to engage relevant stakeholders and return with feedback after seeking clarification on the issues raised.

The protest is the latest controversy surrounding the market women empowerment programme, which has generated discussions in several communities across the state in recent days.

Some women have alleged that they were mobilized and encouraged to participate in the process only to discover that the actual beneficiaries had already been selected before the event.

One of the women, Mrs. Paulina, who claimed she attended the Calabar programme, alleged that actual traders were sidelined when beneficiaries were called forward.

According to her, most of those who represented Obanliku were not known market women.

"When Obanliku was called, market women were APC women who had already been pre-registered before the event," she claimed.

"I didn't identify up to five real market women there. Most of the people I saw were local government council women and politicians," she added.

The women further lamented that market women across the state lack a recognized leadership structure that can properly identify genuine traders whenever government programmes are being organized.

They insisted that their protest was not against the government but against what they described as unfair representation and exclusion.

For the women of Sankwala, the message was simple: if an empowerment programme is meant for market women, then the real market women should not be left out.