Prince Paul Ikonne, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has strongly condemned the unbearable hardship being meted out to traders in Aba under the administration of Governor Alex Otti, describing the current level of taxation as insensitive, exploitative, and destructive to the commercial lifeline of Nigeria.

Speaking in Aba through his Chief Press Secretary, Dr. Ujo Justice, while addressing stakeholders including some market leaders, Ikonne noted that Aba—widely recognized as one of the commercial hub of Nigeria—is being crippled by Governor Otti’s tax policies.

According to him, traders in Ariaria International Market, who previously paid ₦18,000 per shop, are now forced to pay over ₦36,000 yearly. With more than 88,000 shops in Ariaria alone, this translates to an outrageous ₦3.1 billion annually. He added that the same story of pain and suffocation is playing out at Ekeoha Shopping Centre, Timber Market, and other trading clusters in Aba.

Ikonne asked pointedly: “Why should Aba traders—the very heartbeat of commerce in southern Nigeria be strangled by such reckless and selfish-driven taxation?

He recalled that Governor Otti promised Aba traders lower taxes during his campaign, yet today, the reverse is the reality. Instead of providing relief, the administration is exploiting the sweat of hardworking businessmen and women.

Beyond taxation, Ikonne stated that up until now the questions over the whereabouts of the ₦54 billion Governor Otti claimed to have spent on renovating 51 schools that cannot be found anywhere, and the ₦7 billion allegedly spent on recreational centres that do not still have not been answered. “Governor Otti, fear God and show us the 51 schools you claimed to have renovated with ₦54 billion.”

He further condemned the total abandonment of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the previous administration, which guaranteed traders the right to reclaim their shops after remodeling. “That agreement has been thrown into oblivion, leaving traders displaced, frustrated, and at the mercy of government manipulation. A people-centered administration should protect the interest of its traders, not betray them,” Ikonne stressed.

Ikonne also wondered why the Otti government is asking traders in Ariaria to pay as high as ₦15 million to re-acquire their shops after remodeling, describing it as an anti-trader policy that adds untold hardship and suffering. He stressed that the monthly federal allocation of over ₦30 billion to Abia State and Local Government which receives over 100 million is more than enough to provide modern, well-equipped markets with necessary amenities such as power supply, potable water, fire service stations, and security—without exploiting traders.

“There is no justification for squeezing Aba traders dry when government has the financial capacity to build these markets and still provide essential infrastructure. This ₦15 million shop fee and ₦36,000 annual revenue levy are wicked, exploitative, and not in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which is designed to water the ground for the masses and ease the burden of doing business,” he declared.

He emphasized that despite President Tinubu’s administration ensuring that Abia receives huge allocations, excluding oil derivation funds as an NDDC state, Aba—the state’s economic capital—remains abandoned and strangled by taxation without development.

Ikonne therefore described Otti’s government as one built on lies, propaganda, and exploitation, noting that traders in Aba have been left at the mercy of a government that thrives on squeezing them dry while showing nothing tangible on the ground.

He called on Governor Otti to immediately reverse the inhumane tax regime, respect the MoU with traders, and deliver visible, people-oriented governance, warning that “a government that punishes Aba traders, who drive the state’s economy and feed Nigeria’s commerce, has already failed the people it