*Says, FG’s Stabilization of Foreign Exchange Good for Traders
The Southeast chapter of the Renewed Hope for Greater Nigeria (RHGN) on Tuesday inaugurated its Market Wing at the popular Ariaria International Market in Aba, Abia State, as part of its expanding grassroots structure to mobilize support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election. The inauguration, performed by the Deputy National Leader of RHGN for the Southeast, Mazi Franklin Ngoforo, drew a large turnout of traders, importers, and market leaders at the sprawling commercial hub, widely regarded as one of the largest markets in West Africa and a nerve centre of Igbo commerce.
Addressing traders at the event, Ngoforo dwelt extensively on the benefits of the stabilization of Nigeria’s exchange rate under the Tinubu administration, telling the gathering that the era of multiple exchange rates had been a haven for a privileged few to defraud the country at the expense of genuine traders and importers.
He explained that under the old regime, individuals with political connections obtained foreign exchange from the Central Bank of Nigeria at heavily subsidized rates, only to turn around and sell it on the streets to traders and importers who needed it for legitimate business, at exorbitant and punishing rates. According to him, President Tinubu’s decision to unify the exchange rate eliminated this fraudulent arbitrage, and in doing so, directly enhanced the economic wellbeing of Igbo traders and importers who form the backbone of the Southeast economy.
Ngoforo told the newly inaugurated Market Wing team that their assignment was to move from shop to shop across Ariaria, engaging fellow traders directly and making the case for the reelection of President Tinubu in 2027. He said the message had to reach every corner of the market, stressing that traders deserved to understand, in clear terms, how national economic policy was shaping their daily business fortunes.
Ngoforo also linked the infrastructural and developmental strides recorded by Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, to the increased revenue allocation flowing to Southeast states as a result of President Tinubu’s economic reforms. He argued that the visible transformation taking place in Abia State was made possible by the expanded federal allocations that followed the removal of fuel subsidy and the stabilization of the exchange rate, and urged traders to see the President’s policies as directly responsible for the developmental gains they were witnessing in their own state. He called on the traders and importers of Ariaria to repay President Tinubu with massive votes come 2027, describing it as a fair return for reforms that had shielded their businesses from the manipulations of a fraudulent few.
Responding on behalf of the newly inaugurated team, the Coordinator of the Ariaria Market Wing of RHGN, Chief Clifford Igbokwe, also known by his traditional title Ogbuefi Mbaukwu, thanked Ngoforo and the National Leadership of RHGN, led by Hon. Calistus Anyanwu, for finding the Ariaria traders worthy of the assignment. He assured that the team would justify the confidence reposed in them and deliver on the mandate given to them.
The Ariaria inauguration marks another significant step in RHGN Southeast’s grassroots expansion, coming weeks after the group unveiled its Booth Army and Campus Wing structures in Owerri, and days after its outreach to Pentecostal clergy in Awka, as the organization continues to broaden its mobilization architecture across markets, campuses, and religious institutions in its drive to deliver the Southeast for President Tinubu in 2027.
