Here Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka, Our Managing Editor in Abuja, writes that in the Idu Furniture Market, Idu, the host community of Idu Industrial Area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), ambition is being measured in sawdust, plywood, and promises. Here, Franklin Chikeluba Nebife, the CEO of Embassy Furniture Coy, who is known to many, simply as Mayor, is the Chief Promotion Chairman of the market association. He is preparing for the biggest contest of his trading life. Soon, the traders of Idu Furniture Market Association will decide who leads them. For Mayor, the race is not about title. It is about visibility. It is about turning a market he calls “my London” into a name that government, customers, and the world will know. In a wide-ranging interview in his office on Saturday, he spoke on his record, his motivation, and why he believes Idu Furniture Market’s time has come. Read excerpts.
“My name is Franklin Chikeluba Nebife,” he began, settling into his chair as apprentices moved furniture outside. “This is Idu Furniture Market, also called Idu Furniture Market, Idu, the host community of Idu Industrial Area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Right now, I serve as the Chief Promotion Chairman. My job is organizing the welfare of our people and making sure our properties are in order.” For years, that has meant settling disputes, coordinating sanitation, and speaking for traders who often feel ignored.
But promotion, he says, is no longer enough. By the grace of God, he is now one of the aspirants for Chairman of the traders association. “If I am given the opportunity to serve, I will make sure there will be changes in this market,” he said. The changes he envisions are simple and direct: adequate security, progress, and unity.
Mayor’s ambition goes beyond the gate of Idu. “I will make sure that this association becomes one of the furniture markets in Abuja that people will know about,” he stated. “I will market this place to the last, so that the whole world will know about this market.” In his view, Idu has been hidden for too long.
The market, he argues, is not just a place of business. It is home. “This is my London. This is everything I have. I don’t have another place,” he said. That personal stake, he believes, is what separates him from past leadership. “The way the market is going, I don’t like it. The market is supposed to be advertised in many places so that there will be enough customers.”
Critics will call it politics. He does not flinch. “If you call me a politician, don’t be surprised,” he said. “Many people promise so many things when they are aspiring, and when they come, they won’t do it.” To prove otherwise, he points to Zauda.
In Zauda, Mayor currently serves as Chairman of the Igbo Community Assembly (ICA). “If you go to Zauda, go and verify about me,” he urged. “In two years of my tenure, I was able to build a banquet hall for them. No chairman has ever done what I did.” The project, he says, is still standing and still in use.
The impact was so visible that members resisted his exit. “Even when my tenure was about to expire, they didn’t allow me to go, just because of what I am doing for them,” he explained. “Zauda is one of the best for ICA in Abuja today. I made it what it is.”
For Mayor, leadership is not about speeches. “Leadership is selfless service,” he said. It is showing up, solving problems, and delivering projects that people can touch. That philosophy, he argues, is what Idu Furniture Market members need now.
So what is motivating him to contest in market association? Frustration and vision. “I have seen the way our market looks like,” he said. “Past chairmen tried their bests, but I will be passionate.” He is careful not to condemn outright, but his message is clear: the status quo is not working.
His primary goal is exposure. “My coming out is to showcase this association. The government must know about Idu Furniture Market,” he said. “My coming out is to break every yoke. My coming out is to make sure that this market prospers.” Without visibility, he argues, there can be no customers, no growth, no progress.
Security and youth development are also central to his manifesto. “I will bring peace, progress to our youth, to make sure that everybody prospers in this market,” he said. In a market where young apprentices learn carpentry and upholstery, he sees the next generation of business owners who need structure and support.
Then there is government. Most market leaders, he notes, have little or no access to FCT authorities. “For instance, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, is the one that is head of FCT,” he said. The question is whether he can bridge that gap.
He believes he can. “Yes. Wike is a very nice man. He doesn’t know about this place,” Mayor said. “Had he known about us” He did not finish the sentence, but the implication was clear: with the right advocacy, Idu Furniture Market can get attention, infrastructure, and recognition.
His strategy is two-fold: internal reform and external marketing. Internally, he promises order, accountability, and unity among traders who often compete more than they collaborate. Externally, he plans aggressive promotion, using media, trade fairs, and government liaison to put Idu on Abuja’s commercial map.
The election will test whether traders buy into that vision. For now, he is campaigning the way he says he leads: by talking directly to people, reminding them of what he did in Zaida, and asking for trust. “Full assurance I am giving to my people,” he said.
As the interview ended and the sounds of saws resumed outside, his message lingered. Idu Furniture Market is not just a cluster of shops. To him, it is livelihood, identity, and future. “If given the opportunity,” he said, “I will make sure the whole world knows about this market.” For Franklin Chikeluba Nebife (Mayor), that is not a campaign slogan. It is a vow.
