Peter Anosike
Traders at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, Lagos-Badagry Expressway have lamented the negative impact the closed international borders is having on their businesses.
According to them, since the close of the borders, there has been a serious drop in the volume of their businesses.
They said that for the Federal Government to be claiming that the closure is yielding fruits while a lot of ordinary Nigerians can no longer afford essential commodities means that government is insensitive to the plight of the Nigerian masses.
They claimed that most of the businesses coming to Lagos International Trade Fair complex are through the neighbouring countries because of its location.
One of the founding fathers of Balogun Business Association, Samson Obidiegwu told Sunday Sun that the Federal Government is not being sincere with the reason it decided to close the borders.
He said that if the reason was to stop smuggling of rice, the traders in Lagos International Trade Fair Complex don’t do rice business.
He pointed out that even with the close of the borders, the price of rice has gone over the roof since the local production cannot meet the current demands.
He said that even if the reason is because of rice smugglers, it is wrong to visit the sin of rice smugglers on those who are doing genuine businesses.
His words: “I want to say that ordinary Nigerians are going through hell as a result of the close of the borders. The volume of businesses has fallen drastically. Prices of foods have skyrocketed. Therefore, for the Federal Government to say that the closure is yielding fruits simply means that those in government are not feeling what ordinary Nigerians are feeling and this is very unfortunate. If the reason for closing the border is to checkmate rice smuggling, we in Lagos International Trade Fair Complex don’t engage in rice business. Then why should those of us who don’t import rice be victims of what does not concern us?”
Also contributing, another trader in the complex, Chima Obayi said that it was wrong for the Federal Government to totally close the border because it is against the ECOWAS treaty.
He noted that by shutting the border against our brothers in the neighbouring countries, Nigeria is no longer playing the big producer.
He said that the Federal Government should try to work out those who are engaged in smuggling businesses and start dealing with them and allow those who are into genuine businesses to continue with their businesses.
Election fever grips Iweka electronic dealers in Onitsha
David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
Fear of uncertainty has enveloped traders of Iweka Road Electronics Dealers Association following a scheduled election in the market this October that would usher in a new executive after the expiration of the current Chief Ndubuisi Egotanwa-led executive.
Chief Egotanwa will be remembered for championing the registration of the market union with the Corporate Affairs Commission in 2012 after many years of the market’s existence. His administration would also be reckoned with the purchase of transformer after the electrification of the market and so many other achievements.
However, despite all efforts made to eradicate market touting which is called “Oso-afia” (market husslers) in the local parlance from the area which has been the headache of many markets in Anambra State, findings show that the incumbent executive had often found it difficult as touts whose activities were checkmated on the invitation of the police often found their way back to the market later.
Touting, according to some traders, had become a major challenge confronting the incumbent executive of the electronics market.
However, Secretary of the union, Mr Godwin Abiah explained that their tenure had witnessed tremendous turn-around in business as a transformer was purchased and installed in the market after 25 years of darkness, coupled with provision of security operatives for the market and provision of functional constitution to guide actions of union members
Mr Abiah only regretted that the action of some traders concerning the election procedure was a source of setback to the realization of the October election deadline.
He posited that the union had earlier agreed on the eligibility of registered members to vote in the coming election, while some contestants and their supporters are championing for the use of membership cards as a ploy to disorganize the coming election. He observed that those who were not in support of the union register are mainly non-registered members who had no stake in the union and not recognized by the union constitution.
However, a major contender among the three chairmanship aspirants, Mr Sabastine Ozokonkwo, said that he had been a trader in the area for more than 30 years after serving his master as an apprentice, adding that he was most qualified to clinch the chairmanship position.
He assured that if elected he would transform the market to greater heights, as well as tackle the issue of touting with a human face in order to give the affected youths a sense of belonging.
He insisted that market touting was a way of accommodating young men in the society who had experienced business misfortune in the hands of their masters or as a mark of business failure.
Mr Ozokonkwo noted that all that was needed was to accord them an executive control to guide and direct them against constituting nuisance to both traders and customers.
Obiano tackles blocked drainages at Nkwo Nnewi market
David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
In line with his “Willie is Working” mantra, Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State a couple of days ago directed the Nnewi North Council Chairman, Hon. Chukwudi Orizu to clear drainages that had caused flood disaster at the Nkwo Nnewi Market.
It was gathered that flood had recently overflown into the traders’ stalls at the market because of blocked drainages that had accumulated for a long time.
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To do the assignment, Hon. Orizu deployed pay loaders, over 10 tipper lorries and labourers who started the clean up exercise from the main entrance to fairly used and new motorcycle market to new motorcycle spare parts section where the major blockage was encountered.
The council chairman said that the exercise was in line with the state government’s policy of Operation Keep Anambra State Clean.
“Recently, we got a bad report from the market leaders that flood entered into some of the stalls at new motorcycle parts. The governor immediately directed me as the Nnewi North council chairman to embark on this exercise to open up all the blocked drainages there,” he said.
Hon. Orizu noted that the blockage was man-made, having seen that nylon materials, plastic scraps, old tyres and all sorts of rubbish were the things brought out from the gutters which he observed had continued to block them over a long period of time.
He told Sunday Sun that his office would summon the market leaders to agree on how to sustain clean environments at Nkwo Nnewi market, “to make sure that at any point in time these wastages are properly disposed of.”
He warned those who built on top of drainages to dismantle them before they incur the wrath of the government.
“We have told those whose stalls are on top of the drainages to remove them for easy passage of drains or we destroy them, “ he said.
Chairman of the Fairly Used and New Motorcycle Dealers Association (FUNMDA), Eloka Ubajekwe said that the exercise was a relief to traders in his section of the market.