Market Groups Protest Imposition Of Yekini Abass As Babaloja General

Scores of Market Men and Women in Oyo State staged a peaceful protest against what they termed as an imposition of Babaloja General.

The Market Men and Women Associations under the aegis of the Coalition of Market Groups Oyo state Chapter yesterday stormed the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ), Iyaganku Ibadan to show their grievance’s on the imposition of Cheif Yekini Abass, who is also known as Y.K. Abass as the Babaloja General of Oyo State by the Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Saliu Adetunji.

Recall that late last month, Oba Saliu  Adetunji installed Chief Yekini Abass as the Babaloja of Oyo state, and the installation was officially ordained by the State Governor Engr. Seyi Makinde, who during his visit to the Monarch at his Popoyemaja Palace said he is in support of his choice on the Babaloja General of the State.

NewsRain learned that it seems that the whole process did not go well with some factions of traders in the state, hence the reason why the protests were staged.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, the Chairman of the Oyo State, Market Men and Women, Alhaji Dauda Oladepo Abiodun noted that “Babaloja of the state is not the duty of the monarch, we have a due process that we used to follow in selecting our Babaloja General.”

“Babaloja General is not a title that belongs to just a town in the State, it’s a title that cut across all the geo-political zones of the State, so we used to have the contributions of all the market leaders in all these zones on who will be our Babaloja General, so the process is not a Palace stuff, it’s basically the decisions of all the authentic Market Men, and Women in the State. Oladepo Stated.

The protesters who were five trade unions, protesting under the coalition are the Oyo State Market Men and Women led by its chairman, Alhaji Dauda Abiodun Oladepo, Ibadan Joint Traders Association led by Chief Odunade Kayode Danjuma, National Association of Nigeria Traders led by Alhaji Kamorudeen Salaudeen, Progressive Trade Men and Artisans led by Chief Tewogbade Tobalase and Association of Concerned General Traders.

The groups which have their representatives at the rally from all the zones in the state said if the Oyo state government ratified the alleged imposed Babaloja on the market people, the coalition also vow to install Babaloja in all the major markets in the state.

The protest which was directly led by the Iyaloja General of Oyo state, Alhaja Wuraola Attanda-Daisi, and the Southwest Coordinator of National Traders Association of Nigeria, Chief Odunade Kayode-Danjuma, and her secretary, Chief Abiodun Adegoke speaking separately at NUJ said they would resist any attempt to impose Babaloja on traders in the state.

Madam Daisi said ” the imposition of Y.K Abass is something that cannot work, we will not take it, we have our process of picking who we want as our leader, and it’s not the responsibility of any Monarch in the State to pick for us.

Alhaji Oladepo in his address also stated that “We don’t want a problem, we are not touts, nor thug’s, so we can’t be disrupting the peace of our dear State in registering our grievance’s, that is why we are here to show we displeased about the installation of Alhaji Yekini Abass as the Babaloja General of the State.

“We the Market Men and Women are part of the process that brought this present administration to power, we are part of the masses, we want our Governor to have a reason with us on this issue, and find a solution to the matter before it’s too late.

Alhaji Dauda Abiodun Oladepo also explained that Olubadan in his letter dated July 16, promised not to interfere in the internal affairs of Traders.

He noted that the unions were surprised to discover that he is now imposing Babaloja general of the state on the people rather than maintaining his stand on the said issue.

According to Oladepo, “we appreciated the governor for allowing us to work during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. If you see the different unions present here today, you will see that we are the real authentic Traders. On this issue of Babaloja of the state, we can’t accept any imposition. Our own Babaloja is Alhaji Jimoh Akinremi.

However in his reaction to the protest, the spokesperson to Oba Saliu Adetunji, Mr. Adeola Oloko said that the protesters are aggrieved because they were not favored by the choice of the Alhaji Yekini Abass.

He said the market leadership is an extension of traditional institutions, therefore the monarch has done the right thing by installing the right person as the Babalola General of Oyo state.

He also noted that  “Before Olubadan took that step of installing Y.K Abass, he had visited all other monarchs and traditional rulers in the state. Governor Makinde had even said it is over on the issue of Traders