Computer Village: CAPDAN alleges harassment, manhandling of traders by agents of Iyaloja

Ladesope Ladelokun

The last may not have been heard about the protest and the controversy that greeted the installation of Iyaloja (female market leader) almost three months ago at Nigeria’s biggest tech hub – Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos State.

This is because of the Computer and Allied Product Dealers Association of Nigeria (CAPDAN), the umbrella body for all business owners in Computer Village at the weekend said that hoodlums alleged to be agents of Iyaloja,

now harass and manhandle traders who refused to pay the levies, describing the idea of Iyaloja in a tech hub as balderdash and an anomaly that must not be allowed to stand.

Speaking with The Daily Times at the weekend, President, CAPDAN, Mr Adeniyi Ojikutu, says Iyaloja does not have control over a limited liability company, adding that the activities of CAPDAN are regulated by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), among others.

Ojikutu says it is impossible to have Iyaloja on individual companies that are registered, noting that it is not a chieftaincy title and there cannot be a government within the government.

“We don’t recognize Iyaloja in Computer Village. We are IT, people. We are regulated by NCC. We are regulated by NITDA. We do not know Iyaloja. They are not regulating us. We cannot continue to have a government within the government. We won’t support it. Our members are saying NO. Iyaloja does not have control over a limited liability company”, he said.

Also, the Public Relations Officer of CAPDAN, Ademola Olaifa told our correspondent that the association had sent a petition to the Commissioner of Police over the unwholesome activities of hoodlums allegedly sponsored by the Iyaloja of Computer Village, wondering where in the world a tech hub is managed by Iyaloja.

His words: ” Yesterday, we were with the CP at Panti Police Station, Yaba.So, we still have another appointment on Tuesday. But, we are not stopping at that. We have written to other government agencies to help sanitise our environment. Our environment is now dangerous and full of crime.”

We won’t allow them to have any access to any organisation here because most of the companies here are registered and we are corporate entities. We’ve never heard where Iyaloja would be managing a corporate entity.

They are the people collecting money from people on the street. The collect money every day and beat up those who refuse to pay and they are being backed up by this so-called Iyaloja”, he added.