Peter Anosike
Traders in Alaba International Market have commended the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu over the new look of the state with regard to cleanliness.
The traders noted that before he came on board about hundred days ago, Lagos was the dirtiest city in the world.
But today, they said that Governor Sanwo-Olu has changed the negative narrative by giving the most populous city in Africa a new look.
They said that if the governor continued on this path, he would write his name in gold at the end of his administration.
The Executive Chairman, Electrical Dealers Association of Nigeria (EDAN), Ichie Ezereadi Ezeorjika who stated this noted that before Sanwo-Olu came on board as the governor of Lagos State every part of the state was stinking.
According to him, heaps of refuse lined up the major roads like flowers.
He said that Lagos back then was a sore sight to behold. But he said that in 100 days of the Sanwo-Olu administration the story has changed.
His words: “Cleanliness is next to godliness. The governor has shown that he is a Godly man. Before he came on board, a lot of us were ashamed of Lagos, especially when our foreign partners come to see us at Alaba. Even our customers from neighbouring ECOWAS countries like Niger Republic, Benin Republic and Ghana used to complain of how dirty Lagos was. The Lagos-Badagry Expressway looked like a huge refuse road. Mind you this is an international road. It is along this road that foreigners who are coming into Nigeria by road form their opinions of Nigeria and as you know, you don’t have second chance to make first impression. But now thanks to the governor, the situation has changed. The refuse along the international road has been cleared. Not just that, the roads inside the streets are also being cleared of refuse. Apart from making Lagos clean, clearing the refuse is also helping to reduce mosquito incubation, which is the cause of malaria. Therefore, with this exercise, we are going to have a more healthy Lagos and as you know health is wealth”.
Ezeorjika prayed that the cleaning would not be a-one-of thing, adding that there should be continuity of the exercise.
He also appealed to Lagosians to be refuse disposal conscious so that the efforts of government to keep Lagos clean would not be a waste of time and resources.
He noted that a clean and healthy Lagos would lead to vibrant people and robust economy.
Anambra Building Materials Market embarks on ‘operation flush out touts’Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
Building Materials International Market, situated along Enugu/Onitsha Expressway, Ogidi near Onitsha has carried out scrutiny of traders in the market aimed at sanitizing the area of touting.
The exercise Sunday Sun learnt was conducted to rid the market of fake and unregistered traders who had in the past allegedly duped or misinformed unsuspecting customers who come to the market to transact business.
The market which was constructed through communal efforts by traders who formally plied their trade along Ozomagala, Ezenwekwe, St. John streets and other adjoining streets in Onitsha are now comfortably plying their daily businesses at their present site.
The ultra-modern market, which is equipped with modern facilities, has fire-fighting equipment with professional firemen attached to a section of the market. It also boasts of modern shops springing up in the site to accommodate the increasing number of apprentices waiting to be “settled” by their masters after a certain number of years agreed under the master’s tutelage.
However, the building materials market which was among the first set of markets to relocate from Onitsha Urban has continued to boom with commercial activities as customers from sub-regional states come to the area to purchase their personal materials or for retail purposes .
With tremendous boost in business activities at inception, young men from various backgrounds sought the opportunity to troop into the new market to earn a living. This incidence of market touting could be evidenced in other major markets with huge commercial activities.
However, the present market under the leadership of Chief Jude Nwankwo decided to end the menace of market touting in order to give the market a brighter image which it rightly deserves with the cooperation of other members of his executives.
Perhaps not wanting to be taken unawares because of the negative image such practice had caused other neighbouring markets, Chief Nwankwo popularly known as “Ochudo” took the bold step to dismantle the ugly trend which has posed enormous danger to both traders and their customers.
Speaking to our correspondent, Nwankwo said that the mission had yielded positive result as all identified market touts roaming the area have been sent packing, creating way for a new lease of life for both the genuine traders and the public.
Nwankwo also noted that materials bought from the market are considered to be from the right source in order to prevent fakes from infiltrating the market using market hustlers. He disclosed that fake revenue touts who flocked around the market premises have been thrown out of the area to enable genuine investors seek ways of partnering traders for development and business boom.
KOTEC set to begin brick tiles manufacture in Nigeria –Emenike
David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
There is good news for buyers and lovers of brick tiles in Nigeria as one of the major importers of the products, KOTEC Group of Companies, Nnewi, Anambra State, has set machinery in motion to begin production of high quality tiles in the country.
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer of the company, Chief Chika Emenike disclosing this to Sunday Sun said that though his company at the moment imports brick tiles from South Africa and Europe, his plans were to begin the manufacture of those products in Nigeria.
He said that at the moment he has offices in Port Harcourt, Enugu, Lagos, Abuja, Owerri and Nnewi for the distribution of the brick tiles alone.
He disclosed that some of the equipment had already been imported waiting for the last batch for production to commence. He assured that his company when started would churn out 100 per cent quality brick tiles as the ones produced in Europe and America.
He revealed that some of the secrets in tiles business as he has currently discovered.
“Most of our people want cheap goods and many dishonest sellers capitalize on that to engage in sharp practices. Some dealers in brick tiles look for a way to reduce the quantity to make abnormal profit. They perfect that through manufacturers overseas who they give specifications as they want the goods,” he explained.
Chief Emenike said that what could make one square metre is 60 pieces as it is measured, but some dealers would reduce it to 56 or thereabout through their suppliers overseas to maximize profit which he said is condemnable.
He declared that as a sin, saying that his company would never engage in such acts.
He said some even remove two pieces from each measurement to make more profits at the disadvantage of the buyers.
Nkpor tyre dealers get 36 lines executives, peace committee
David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
The leadership of other administrative units under Almagamated Tyre Dealers Association (ATDA), Nkpor, in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State has been inaugurated by the Executive Chairman of ATDA, Mr Charlse Nonso Ikeli.
Thirty-six line chairmen and secretaries, three peace committee leaders and seven task force members in the market were inaugurated after monthly prayer session by a prayer ministry in the market led by Brother Kenechukwu Okolie.
Speaking shortly after the inauguration, Mr Ikeli thanked the newly inaugurated line committee members and the entire traders in the market for their effort and solidarity during his election and charged them to embrace peace and orderliness in the market.
He called on them to remain focused and be diligent to their duties in their various positions with useful advice that would move ATDA to greater height.
He promised the entire traders that he would renovate roads in all lines and also circulate water taps to each of the lines.
He reminded them that he would not harbour any criminal under his administration and charged some of the traders especially the new ones who had not been registered to get registered as members of ATDA.
Nnewi timber dealers decry harassment of suppliers on highways
David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
Chairman of Nnewi Timber Dealers Association, Nnewi, Anambra State, Chukwunonso Paul Nnetu, has expressed worry that drivers of heavy-duty vehicles that supply goods to traders are being unduly harassed by revenue agents on the highways.
He said that the Nnewi timber dealers get supplies from Edo State, Warri, Bayelsa, Sapele and some other parts of the country where timbers are produced in large quantities.
He regretted that lorry drivers contracted by their suppliers at the other end would always arrive at Nnewi with barrage of compliments on how they were disturbed on the roads by revenue collectors for series emblems.
He said that the situation had made some of the drivers to reject coming to Nnewi or the entire Southeast for fear of being molested.
Nnetu noted that this in turn had affected dealers in Nnewi from getting adequate supply of the products occasionally.
He called on both the federal and state governments to look into the complaints to save the traders from unnecessary hardship.
Nnetu who is serving out his second tenure in office said that his administration had done a lot to ensure comfort of the traders at the market.
He said that the association under his watch was instrumental to the construction of an access road to the timber market by Governor Willie Obiano’s administration which he noted was before now impassable.