By Samuel Ebegbulem
BENIN CITY — ACTIVITIES were paralysed for over two hours, yesterday, along Akpakpava Road and Ring Road of Edo State, when thousands of market women protested against what they described as the alleged misappropriation of N15million by the Women Affairs Ministry.

The money, Vanguard learnt, was donated by Governor Adams Oshiomhole for the rehabilitation of the burnt Agbado market and  compensation of the women, whose goods were lost in the inferno last Monday.

The women protested to the State Government House and the House of Assembly.

It will be recalled that fire disaster razed  the market in November, 2009 and the state government promised to assist the victims rebuild the market. The Governor fulfilled his promise last Monday through the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajia Maimuna Momodu.

But in a swift reaction, the Commissioner blamed the secretary of the Market Women, Mrs. Maureen Okojie, for the problem, explaining, “it was the list she gave me that I worked with. We had a list of 409 people and that was what I also gave to the Governor.

I do not sell in the market so I would not have known who the victims were. But I told the secretary to submit names of the real victims and asked them also to raise objections to any one they felt was not a market woman. But they did not do that until after the disbursement,  when started complaining.”

However, the protesting women who expressed gratitude to the governor for assuaging their problems, complained through an address read to newsmen by Mrs. Magdalene Akaehormem, that the “ way and manner the money was disbursed raised suspicion. Envelops used in sharing the money carried different dates, with different amounts, while some were given N200,000, others were given just N2,000 and many did not benefit at all.

“It was also noted that many, who have no stores in the market, benefited from the money, while the real traders were given meagre sums of money. Those that went on  August 10,  were given the sum of N200,000 to N20,000 and some of them were not traders. And those that went on August 11, got  from N2,000 to N10,000 respectively while some were not given at all. All those whose shops were burnt were not considered,” she said.

The women appealed to the Governor to prevail on the Ministry of Women Affairs to do the right thing, in order not to jeopardize the good and sincere effort of the Governor to alleviate the plight of the market women.