Traders Petition Senate Over Shops Lockup By Arts Council

A petition against Mr Otunba Segun Runsewe, the Director-General of National Council for Arts and Culture, has been sent to Nigerian Senate seeking the reopening of the Arts and Crafts Village in the Council.

In the petition addressed to Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism, Traders of Arts and Crafts Village decried the rendering of over 300 of its members jobless following the shops lock up on February 10, 2018.

Mr Runsewe, in the petition dated March 18, was accused of stationing police and private security operatives at the crafts village to prevent the traders from going about their businesses.

“We are legally doing the business of promoting Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage, thereby boosting the Nigerian tourism industry. This village has been under constant threat of extinction. Our sources of livelihood are confiscated by this action,” read the petition signed by the group’s President, Nze Kanayo Chukwumezie; Secretary Lawal M’hd Shua’ibu, and Chairman, Board of Trustees, Alhaji Mustapha Kidama.

“This lockup has affected over 2, 000 Nigerians as we have sales people we pay salaries. We also have trainees, families and other dependants that we provide for as well as other social responsibilities. Otunba also illegally used EFCC to freeze our association’s account and the private accounts of our president. Allowing this to continue will mean inflicting more hardship on us and adding to the growing unemployment market,” said the association.

The traders, who further accused Mr Runsewe of sending them off knowing that 90% their members had paid their rents between September and December 2017, said the DG also threatened to hike the rents.