The Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, on Thursday, said he did not ordered the disruption of disbursement of Trader Moni programme, on Tuesday, at Lafenwa market, Abeokuta.
The governor who spoke to newsmen said the Trader Moni Scheme, an initiative of the Federal Government, is a well structured programme and could not have been carried out by people whom he described as hoodlums.
Amosun said he got wind of the activities of the so- called hoodlums through the market woman leader, Alhaja Ramotalai Olatunji, who told him that some people were at the market, asking traders to write their names and information on their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
He said the development called for quick intervention considering the fact that elections were around the corner and that unsuspecting members of the public could be easily hoodwinked with the process.
Amosun said only directed that the traders should ignore anyone asking them to submit details on their PVCs, insisting that he did not send out anyone or group of people to disrupt the exercise.
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“Now as we go into elections, I want all of us to get our PVCs, please don’t sell your PVC. Yesterday, you’ve read in the papers, they said Ogun government, Amosun disrupted Trader Moni. Trader Moni is not just done putting pen on paper. Some hoodlums just went there, let me use that English, they called us from the market that some people came o, to say they should bring their PVCs, bring their names, bring their numbers.”
“Of course, I know VP handles Trader Moni; that’s not how it is done. It is a structured programme, not two days to elections, some people would just carry one paper, give them exercise book, bring your PVC, write your name. How can I sit down as a governor and allow that to happen?”
“They called that some people came and asked them to bring their PVCs. And I said don’t worry, come and see me. When they came, they told us what was happening, that some people phoned them to bring their PVCs, that they should be writing their names and phone numbers. That is not Trader Moni; that would be a disservice to the lofty ideals of why Trader Moni was put together. So, that wasn’t Trader Moni. It was just a way to con our people to part with their PVCs. I just told them, ignore them. That was all,” he added.
and then