Tension is rising at the Ekeoha Shopping Center in Aba as traders have accused the developers, Rhino Homes & Properties Ltd., of breaching the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) guiding the ongoing market remodelling project.
The aggrieved traders alleged that the developers began selling shops to outsiders for ₦10 million each—₦4 million above the ₦6 million originally agreed—despite the remodelling project not being completed and without giving original shop owners first rights to reclaim their spaces.
Speaking to reporters, former Executive Chairman of the shopping center, who now serves as the Grand Patron of the market, Chief Barth Madubuko said traders are angered by what they describe as a deliberate disregard for agreements made during tripartite meetings involving traders, developers, and the government.
“The traders are clearly unhappy with the situation,” he stated. “You don’t need a prophet to tell you that.”
He further disclosed that a petition was submitted to the Governor of Abia State, detailing several anomalies in the remodelling process. According to him, this prompted an invitation to a mediation meeting scheduled to hold at the office of the Chief of Staff on June 16.
He recalled that during their last meeting on April 9, it was agreed that:
Displaced traders would be relocated to temporary sites at the expense of the developers.
Upon completion of the shops, original owners would be given the first right of refusal.
They would be given a one-month grace period to raise funds and reclaim their shops.
However, the traders allege that these agreements have not been honored.
They are now calling on the Abia State Government to urgently intervene and halt what they describe as a “displacement and exploitation” of legitimate traders.
With the June 16 meeting fast approaching, all eyes are on the Abia State Government to step in and address the growing discontent before it escalates further.
