Human rights activists and social crusader, Comrade Evangelist Vincent Ezekwueme, has embarked on seven-day self-imposed hunger strike over the continued closure of Onitsha Drugs Market and adjoining markets as a result of alleged buying and selling of adulterated, expired, substandard and “unwholesome” drugs.
Ezekwueme, who is also Chairman of Civil Liberties Organization (CLO) Anambra State Branch, told journalists on Sunday that he decided to embark on the self-imposed hunger strike to draw the attention, mercy, love and empathy of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Members of National Assembly, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Nigerians “to unbearable excruciating sufferings, agony, plights, predicaments of the Onitsha Drugs Market traders for more than 50 days that their shops here closed by NAFDAC.
“Early this morning, a successful businessman at Onitsha Drugs Market called me and told me that his four children are now out of school, his landlord has threatened to evict him over non-payment of house rent. Most pathetic is that they have nothing to eat since three days ago. I broke down in tears.
“Pertinently, I embarked on this hard, painful but patriotic self-imposed hunger strike in solidarity to share in the excruciating sufferings of the affected traders, their families, loved ones, dependents and most importantly their children who are now out of school as a result of closure of their parents only source of livelihood that necessitated non-payment of their school fees.”
Comrade Ezekwueme lamented that the CLO had “earlier made three patriotic and live savings appeals to both President Tinubu and NAFDAC to reopen the affected markets to no avail, hence the hunger strike becomes ineluctable and inexorable.”
On Friday, the CLO called for urgent political solution to enable the market reopen for business, lamenting that “the closure of the markets has brought avoidable deaths, high cost and inadequate supply of drugs, hunger, anger, poverty, idleness, school dropouts, increase in crimes rates, youths restiveness and moral decadence.”
Comrades Ezekwueme, Chidi Mbah (Secretary) and Damian Oguike said in the statement that “love, mercy and empathy is more fruitful and rewarding than strict justice.
“It is of prime importance to note that unusual situation calls for unusual solution, hence the inevitable need for Anambra State Governor Professor Charles Soludo, members of National and State Assemblies, Ohanaeze, Civil Society Organizations, traditional rulers and market leaders to immediately swing into action and organize stakeholders meeting to proffer immediate and permanent solution to the continued closure of Onitsha Drugs Market.
“The stakeholders meeting should constitute Committee to visit President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to explain the unprecedented sufferings, plights, predicaments and agony of the affected traders, their true pathetic and pitiable situation. It is also pertinent for Governor Charles Soludo to constitutes Judicial Panel of Inquiry to unravel the circumstances surrounding closure of the affected markets, searching of shops in absence of owners, alleged looting of some shops not connected with drugs products as alleged by one citizen Eberechukwu Sophia Okoye who stated that her goods worth #15m was looted; and proffer short-term and long-term solutions.
“The greatest essence of government is for protection of lives, livelihoods and properties of her citizens, hence the interventions both from Governor Charles Soludo and Anambra State House of Assembly becomes ineluctable and inexorable. There is tendency that continues closure of the markets will exacerbates crimes, criminalities, idleness, youths restiveness, deaths, illnesses, school dropouts, high cost of drugs and most of the remaining drugs in the markets may expire if the markets reopening is delayed further.
“According to Pope Francis: “When someone suffer directly, everyone suffers indirectly.” Information at our disposal indicates that nearly 600 students are not taking part in the ongoing second term examinations due to closure of their parents only source of livelihood as their parents cannot afford their school fees.
“The President may not be aware of degree of agony, excruciating sufferings, hardship, sleeplessness and problems of the affected traders and their loved ones are undergoing, hence the inevitable intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is needed more than ever before.”
The CLO added: “Let us collaboratively, collectively and patriotically join hands together to help bring life, succour, hope and peace to the affected traders, their families, dependents and loved ones by advocating, pleading and demanding for unconditional reopening of the affected markets.”
President Tinubu, the group said, “as father of the nation, should kindly hearken to cries and predicaments of his citizens, the affected traders, by directing NAFDAC to unconditionally reopen the closed markets as well as direct them to rescind the imposition of #500,000 levy on the traders as most of them don’t have the wherewithal and some of them find it very difficult if not impossible to feed their families.”