Observers and stakeholders in Oyo State’s trading community have begun raising fresh concerns over the lingering leadership crisis within the Market Leaders Council, questioning the delay in implementing resolutions reached during previous reconciliation efforts facilitated by the state government.
The concern comes nearly two years after a stakeholders’ reconciliatory meeting convened by the Oyo State Ministry of Trade, Industry, Investment and Cooperatives on June 21, 2024, at the Secretariat in Ibadan. The meeting, which brought together warring factions within the state’s market leadership structure, ended with a communiqué outlining several resolutions aimed at restoring peace and order among traders.
Among the key resolutions reached at the meeting was the directive that all pending court cases against the Babaloja-General of Oyo State be withdrawn immediately, in line with the directive of the state governor. Participants also affirmed that the state government had not approved or recognized anyone as the Iyaloja-General of Oyo State, warning that no individual should parade herself in that capacity until an official approval and pronouncement by the government.
The communiqué further directed that each of the twelve existing clusters of traders in the state should return the template for data collection of registered traders’ associations within two weeks for administrative purposes by the ministry. Associations dissatisfied with their current cluster arrangements were also advised to indicate their preferences in the template, while those wishing to belong to new clusters were instructed to formally approach the ministry.
At the time, the meeting was widely described as a breakthrough in the efforts to resolve the crisis. Both factional leaders, Princess Afolashade Abeo and Alhaja Aduke, commended the commissioner for his intervention and praised the state government for what they described as pragmatic leadership. The duo pledged to comply with the governor’s directive and promised to convey the message of reconciliation to their respective supporters.
Other stakeholders, including Mogaji Salaudeen, Chief Mrs. Odunayo Danjuma, Adebayo Abdulwaheed, Zakariyah Kamil Ariyo, Chief Mrs. Julianna Rahimi, and Alhaji Kabir Oladipupo, also applauded the government’s intervention and called for strict sanctions against individuals who fail to comply with the resolutions. They maintained that the crisis within the council largely stemmed from leadership disputes rather than the general membership of traders.
However, despite the optimism that followed the meeting and subsequent government directives, observers say the long-awaited resolution is yet to materialize.
Many traders and industry watchers now question the slow pace of the reconciliation process, noting that the absence of a recognized leadership structure continues to create uncertainty within the trading community. They are calling on the Oyo State Government to provide a clear update on the status of the reconciliation process and outline concrete steps toward establishing a unified and widely accepted leadership for the Market Leaders Council.
For thousands of market men and women across Oyo State, stakeholders say, the expectation remains that the government will soon conclude the process and implement a lasting solution capable of restoring unity, stability, and effective representation within the state’s markets.
