…Why They Suspended Their Proposed Strike Yesterday
By Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi
A proposed protest strike by newspaper vendors in Port Harcourt was averted yesterday (Friday, 6th September, 2019) as the anti-street trading task force set up by the Rivers State Government finally released their member whom it allegedly arrested three days ago at 2nd Artillery Junction, Aba Road, Port Harcourt.
TPCN gathered that the Task Force members had arrested the female newspaper vendor, one Inyeremi West, at 2nd Artillery Junction, accusing her of selling newspapers on the street.
Upon arresting her, the Task Force members dragged her to their mobile court where what many see as a kangaroo trial was quickly held.
TPCN learnt that after reading the alleged trumped-up charges against West, the Magistrate asked her “Guilty or not guilty,” to which she allegedly replied in the negative, to the chagrin of the mobile court and the Task Force members who felt she was being stubborn and as a result detained her.
All entreaties by her fellow newspaper vendors and officials of the Newspaper Distributors Association of Nigeria, Rivers State chapter, for her release fell on deaf ears as the Magistrate insisted that they must obtain a letter from either the State’s Attorney-General or the permanent secretary in the ministry of information before she would be released.
As an alternative, the Magistrate said that the lady must plead guilty to the charges and pay a fine to enable her regain freedom.
The lady was allegedly detained till the next day but was finally released later yesterday, although as at the time of filing in this report, TPCN was yet to ascertain whether any permit was obtained or any fine paid before she was released.
But by Thursday morning, the newspaper vendors had threatened to embark on a strike under the aegis of Newspaper Distributors Association of Nigeria this morning if she was not released.
Speaking with TPCN in his office at Ikwerre Road, Mile 1, Diobu on Thursday, secretary of the association, Umoh Micah, complained of the incessant harassment of newspaper vendors by the police and task force members, as a result of which they had embarked on protests before, the most recent being in 2018 when they marched to the Rivers State Government House gate, Azikiwe Road, Port Harcourt and Police Command Headquarters, Moscow Road to complain of the harassment of their members by police men.
Umoh Micah, who said that the Rivers State Government did not list newspaper vendors as street traders, told TPCN: “When we saw that Governor Wike called for a town hall meeting, we were not invited…Long before now our vendors have been harassed, intimidated, detained everywhere until we took the protest to the government house and the police headquarters. That was 2018. Since then they told us they will get back to us. They did not get back to us and all those things stopped until this street trading law started. We thought our vendors were exonerated. But since last week we’ve been receiving report that news stands are being destroyed, umbrellas destroyed, papers torn. And we think that may be the task force wants to do outside what they were asked to do until yesterday when one of our members was arrested and tried in the mobile court at Artillery. She was detained because she refused to plead guilty.”
Umoh Micah appealed to the Rivers State Government to spare the newspaper vendors and allow them to do their information dissemination business which is part of their contribution towards the enlightenment of the society.
“What we’re saying now is that the government should not go after the vendors. The task force should not go after the vendors. If the government doesn’t want newspapers in Rivers State, then they should tell the publishers not to be bringing newspapers to us for sale, not the vendors. We don’t write news; our own is to take the information closer to the people. So I don’t know why we should suffer like ordinary people that are selling crayfish in the market. There is no way they can give us a space in Mile 1 market. Newspapers are sold in the open where people can pass and see the papers and pick a copy,” he lamented.
When TPCN contacted the Task Force officer in charge of Mile 1, Mile 2 and Mile 3, Chinwe Chinda the issue, he confirmed that that vendors are not among the street traders they were asked to chase away from the streets.
He however added that the problem they have with the vendors is that they cover the pedestrian side of the roads with their tables, noting that they usually plead with the vendors not cover the entire space with their tables so that people can walk freely.
