The President-General of the Abia State Markets Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA) Chief Alphonsus Udeigbo has sued for calm and understanding following a wave of near-violent protest marches by aggrieved market women at Nkwo Asa Nnentu Market in the Ugwuagbo local council of the state, promising to take up their case with the appropriate authorities.
The aggrieved market women, who in their hundreds on Friday, July 10, 2026, had embarked on a protest march against the proposed N36,000 annual statutory levy, were only prevented from going violent and destructive by the swift intervention of the ASMATA leadership led by Chief Udeigbo.
The ASMATA President, whose attention was drawn to the restive situation at the market while on his way to Umuahia, the state capital, for an official engagement, had to abort his journey to urgently calm frayed nerves and prevent the situation from spiralling out of control.
The women were said to be uncomfortable with the government’s N36,000 annual statutory levy, which they consider to be beyond their reach, going by the petty nature of their businesses.
At a troubleshooting meeting with the ASMATA president and his team, the protesting women insisted that they cannot afford the payment of such an amount, noting that most of them are not having wares amounting up to N50,000.
However, the ASMATA president, while appealing for calm, assured the protesters of his readiness to interface with all relevant authorities towards an amicable settlement of the misunderstanding.
Chief Udeigbo, along with the ASMATA Women Leader, Chief Mrs Nkechi Ezim, and other executive members, held an interactive session with the local market leadership led by the secretary, Michaelson Oko, and the officials of the Ugwuagbo revenue collection task force, during which he urged parties to maintain the peace pending the outcome of efforts to reach an amicable settlement.
The ASMATA leadership, which also seized the opportunity to conduct an assessment tour of the market, promised to equally draw the attention of appropriate authorities to their findings.
Chief Udeigbo particularly assured the traders that certain observations made concerning the state of the market will be tabled before the authorities, with a view to addressing them.
He, however, emphasised the urgent need for all parties, especially the aggrieved market women, to exercise restraint and be law-abiding.
