Tension is gradually mounting in the Ho central market, between sections of the market women and the Municipal Assembly over the management of the place.
Addressing a meeting with representatives of queenmothers in Ho, the current market queen, Madam Rejoice Norvihoho, accused the Ho Municipal Assembly of not only refusing to work with her, but going ahead to set up a parallel committee to run the market.
According to Madam Norvihoho, there are market queens in all markets across the country and that Ho market is not an exception.
She is, therefore, surprised that her administration has been side-lined, as if the position is strange to the Municipal Assembly.
She explained that she was traditionally installed as the Ho market queen, introduced to the Ho Municipal Assembly and other stakeholders during the era of Mr Prosper Pii Bansah, the last Municipal Chief Executive (MCE).
Madam Norvihoho told the media that she worked with the assembly without any hitches, until the current MCE, Divine R.K Bosson assumed office.
She contended that she did not arrogate to herself the powers to lead the management team of the assembly and that the decision to side line herself and other management members by R.K Bosson’s administration is unfortunate.
Madam Norvihoho further explained that since the Ho market was established decades ago, the leadership of the market queen and the executives had played crucial roles including maintenance of law and order as well as providing a congenial environment for the Assembly to collect revenue for development.
She further told the meeting that herself and the market executives had never been confronted by the assembly because they are not into any competition.
To her, the traders in the market are doing business by paying their taxes to the assembly for development.
Madam Norvihoho attributed the current tension in the market to the formation of the Ho Municipal Assembly Market Management Committee (MMC), which is giving counter instructions to the traders in the market when her outfit was supposed to do so.
According to her, it is their tradition to contribute to funerals and burials of colleague traders who pass on to glory.
She regretted that when she recently summoned the women to a meeting to deliberate on how much they should contribute to the burial of a colleague who had died, the committee set up by the assembly also went round telling the traders not to attend the meeting called by her executives.
She, therefore, called on the Paramount Chief of Asogli, Togbe Afede XIV, to as a matter of importance, intervene by ensuring that peace prevails in the market to promote smooth economic activities.
The Queenmother of Ho–Bankoe, Mama Awude II, who led an eight member representation of queen mothers to the meeting, said they were only sent to understand current development from the market queen.
She explained that the paramount Queen Mother, who was to introduce the market queen to the market women, had travelled and would do so on her return home.
When contacted, the Ho MCE, Mr. Bosson, confirmed that the Assembly had formed a new market management committee in the Ho market to manage the activities, based on an appeal made to him by the majority of the market women.
According to the MCE, the traders complained to him about alleged misbehaviour of the market queen who they alleged was not introduced to them by the traditional authorities.
Bosson explained that on July 1, 2022 he was invited by market women to a meeting held in the market and attended by five hundred traders and after listening to their concerns, the Assembly decided to form the new market management committee to regulate activities in the market.
The MCE stressed that after listening to the concerns of the market women, he also informed them (traders) that some of them were occupying stores and spaces without any documentation from the assembly.
According to the MCE, he warned the offenders to quickly regularise their occupation of the stores before his outfit takes stringent measures against them.
MCE Bosson further told the media that the Assembly is currently paying for lease of the land that the market is situated on and would do everything possible to plug all the loopholes in revenue generation in the market to ensure that the Assembly mobilises enough revenue for the needed development of the area.
