The Owa-Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran, has stirred the bees’ nest. The 86-year-old monarch looked into the eyes of his old friends and trade associations and said, ‘Enough is enough.” Truly, twenty kids cannot play for twenty years, but the verdict of the monarch remains shocking to those who knew about the privileges these trade associations have enjoyed in the past.
Why should a trader be harassed or intimidated for not joining an association? These cowards target vulnerable people who are struggling with businesses and use fear as a weapon by claiming that there are top police officers and the palace behind them. They would force them to join and strangle them with bills.
I did not attend the event where the monarch banned the forceful inclusion of members in trade associations, but I watched the video of the pronouncement, and it was not different from the popular biblical reference ‘Let my people go’. I believe the royal father must have been overwhelmed by the excesses of trade associations and the unending reports of people whose lives have been miserable by ignorant members and arrogant leaders of these trade associations.
Oba Aromolaran declared war against his old friends. The royal father directed that no individual must be compelled or forced to join any association before he or she can engage in any business of his or her choice. The obviously angry king further directed that any resident of Ilesa who is tackled and frustrated by any association should report to the palace, and those responsible would be dealt with to the full extent of the law.
The outcry of joy and pleasant remarks that followed the declaration by the monarch is proof that people are extremely tired of the excesses of trade associations. Many residents, including outsiders who have witnessed or read about the sponsored harassment and molestation of traders who were either not interested or had no financial muscle to join trade associations, praised the directive.
Oba Aromolaran has spent more than forty years on the throne of his forefathers, and I sincerely doubt if he has ever received praise and prayers as much as these in his entire journey on the throne. The joy on people’s faces is evidence that they or people they know have been shown ‘pepper’ by trade associations.
As a ruler of distinction and intimidating native intelligence, many are still surprised why he tolerated the actions of trade associations for so long. Why did it take him so long to cut the excesses of trade associations? The question is on the lips of every individual.
I had intervened on a particular matter where the leaders of this trade association claimed to have support for the monarch. They claimed that they owned ‘Owa’ and that the palace supports whatever they are doing. I did not bother to doubt this claim because the palace never frowned at it.
Another alleged fact is that they take gifts to the palace every year to show appreciation for support, which means that the king and his entire council are in support of whatever they are doing. I had to inform the police about the incident, and I thank a team of responsible officers who rescued the poor woman from the shackles of marauders who hide under trade associations to infringe on people’s rights.
As residents celebrate the new move, I think they should be bothered about the consequences and ask if the monarch is ready to wrestle with his old friends. Oba Aromolaran must be properly informed that he has a lot of work to do beyond the verbal directive. There must be a task force that is not corrupt, and it must be populated by people who are rich in both native and emotional intelligence to readily receive complaints and manage those who have been frustrated by trade associations.
Leaders of trade associations who use funds gathered from levies to raise their kids would surely fight against it. They would not tackle the monarch in public; rather, they would continue with their lawless acts. They will only change tactics. They won’t engage those who have temerity to report them to the police station. They will run away from those who know the palace and the people in it, but I pity the disadvantaged and vulnerable women who only want to feed their kids with little gain from their businesses.
My ears are filled with sad tales of how the leaders of these trade associations treat their members. From pepper grinders to food sellers to bread sellers to nylon sellers to alcoholic drink sellers, among others, it has always been a story of crass use of force, intimidation, and unlawful assertions from acclaimed leaders to members.
I have not seen Iya Romoke (not real name), a food seller in Ilesa, since the directive of Oba Aromolaran. I surely do not want to measure her excitement in absentia. She is a victim of a trade association. They once invaded her small shop, locked it, and took her keys away for a long time. They did not care about cooked foods in her custody. She once paid N2000 with a lot of appeals for presenting a levy receipt for Ilesa West to the Marshals of Ilesa East. She narrated how she was forced to kneel down during one of their meetings because she refused to leave the spot they directed her to leave.
When I asked her to follow me to the station, she begged me. Why did she beg me? It’s obvious. She told me that she would be attacked spiritually. She mentioned three people who wrestled against the trade association and watched their businesses rot away. I looked at her with pity, and I saw a conquered businesswoman whose wings had been capped by marauders. Iya Romoke is not alone.
Her story is not different from that of thousands of traders who have been witchhunted and oppressed by associations. People join associations to become bigger, more connected, and achieve higher prosperity. For Ilesa trade associations, you forcefully join associations to be monitored, tackled, intimidated, oppressed, and possibly dragged to penury and financial instability.
Definitely, Ilesa is fertile ground for businesses to flourish. It is a big center stage of deliberate commerce, but trade associations and the silence of community leaders, especially Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran, have denied the town its rightful place in the community of prosperous towns. The price of every commodity is determined by these associations. No trader has the right to buy and sell at prices that matter to him or her. If these prices were determined in favor of the masses, it would have been more appealing. They would increase the prices of goods and services astronomically and compel their members to follow the same suit.
I thank his Imperial Majesty, Oba Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran, for looking directly into the eyes of his old friends. But there’s more work to do. There must be a task force to implement your directive, and it must be felt across the entire town. Let the palace be open to all and for all. Let the people feel the warmth, safety, and security of the palace. Please make scapegoats too. May your reign continue to make life better for the Ilesa people.