When Have You Turned Into A Private Investigator? Presidency Fires Peter Obi Over Demands On Onitsha Bridge Head Market

The presidency has called out the 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over his position and recent public assertions regarding the closure of the Onitsha Bridge Head market.

The presidency, in a statement on Wednesday by the Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, questioned the particular interest of Peter Obi in the market closure.

He berated the former presidential candidate for his insistence on the market reopening and charged him to allow the professionals to do their work.

According to Olusegun, some of the guilty traders in the market should be in jail for crimes against humanity, and Obi should be more interested in protecting the lives and health of millions of Nigerians.

Naija News recalls following the closure of the Onitsha Bridge Head Market for several days by government and security authorities, Obi appealed for its reopening to allow concerned traders and shop owners make a living and survive.

According to him, the decision by regulatory and security agencies to close the market totally is affecting innocent traders who make a living from the market.

The former Anambra State Governor also made a second appeal in which he made a fresh call for the immediate reopening of markets in Onitsha, Anambra State, that were not involved in illegal drug trading.

Obi who made the renewed call on Tuesday, lamented that the long closure is affecting business in the area, and traders who depend on sales for their daily living are being thrown into further hardship.

He lamented that such is able to happen because those in government and at the helm of affairs taking such decisions don’t own or manage businesses and don’t understand how micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) operate.

In response, the presidential media aide, in a post via his account on the X platform, emphasized the need to allow the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to do its work without unnecessary interference.

He emphasized the need to protect Nigerians from consuming fake and harmful food, drugs and other items.

The aide asked Peter Obi to explain to Nigerians why he rushed to the market to obstruct NAFDAC from combating the activities of some traders involved in selling illicit, substandard and unhealthy items to unsuspecting members of the public.

Olusegun wrote: “I have resisted the urge to dabble into the ongoing populistic patronage of Mr Peter Obi over the past few months but in cases where lives and properties of millions of Nigerians are concerned, every sane Nigerian must speak up else we are one step away from being exterminated due to consumption of fake foods, drugs and other items.

“You of all person must understand what the jurisdictions of @nafdacnigeria are and that beyond drugs, they are in charge of ensuring everything we consume directly including foods items, beverages, water etc are vetted and deemed safe for consumption.

“When have you turned into a private investigator or an intelligence officer to conclude which sections of the Onitsha Bridge Head market are involved in unwholesome practices? Or are you more interested in protecting the livelihood of some traders some of who should be in jail for crimes against humanity than protecting the lives and health of millions of Nigerians you aspire to become their president one day?

“Nigerians will like to know why you rushed to Onitsha to obstruct NAFDAC from carrying out their legitimate work of combating illicit drugs and substandard and unhealthy foods. Someone or some people might think you are trying to shield fake drug dealers who have put the lives of millions of Nigerians at risk as a result of their nefarious and conscienceless criminal activities.

“Dear Mr Peter Obi, kindly search your Conscience.”