A prominent Mogaji in Ibadan, Alhaji Abass Oloko, has dismissed claims by the Oyo State Market Leaders Council that Hon. Aderemi Oseni’s reported N90 million donation was merely distributed to APC members who are traders.
Reacting to the statement credited to the leadership of the Council, Oloko described the position as unnecessary and capable of creating division among traders in the state.
He questioned the basis of the Council’s argument, asking whether every trader in Oyo State must necessarily be registered under the Oyo State Market Leaders Council before becoming eligible to receive empowerment or financial support.
”Must every trader register as a member of the Oyo State Market Leaders Council before they can be empowered or supported?” he asked.
Oloko urged those behind what he described as attempts to politicise the donation to desist from actions capable of pitching traders against one another or undermining the goodwill demonstrated by the federal lawmaker.
According to him, Hon. Oseni voluntarily committed the huge sum at a time many Nigerians are facing economic challenges, insisting that such a gesture should be appreciated rather than criticized.
He maintained that the donation was a demonstration of Oseni’s commitment to grassroots empowerment and should not be discouraged by political sentiments.
Describing the lawmaker as “a good man and a man of the masses,” Oloko said Oseni has consistently identified with ordinary people through people-oriented interventions and should be encouraged to sustain such initiatives.
It would be recalled that during an interactive engagement with market stakeholders from the nine local government areas of Oyo South Senatorial District in Ibadan, Honorable Remi Oseni reportedly distributed ₦90 million to market men and women, with each local government receiving ₦10 million to support petty trading and small businesses.
The event also featured an endorsement of his 2027 senatorial ambition and a pledge of support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.
However, the Oyo State Market Leaders Council subsequently distanced itself from the reports, stating that the gathering was attended by APC market stakeholders and political supporters rather than the entire market community.
A development that led to the latest caution from Mogaji Abass Oloko to the Oyo State Market Leaders Council, advising them not to create division among traders in the state.
