Dickson Okafor
Emma Otunabo, former General Secretary, Balogun Business Association (BBA), said the reason he is aspiring to be President of the Association is to return the International Centre for Commerce (ICC), Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, to the original master plan which said has been distorted.
He gave insight into why he is the preferable candidate and how to improve the standard of the Mega Shopping Complex and ensure the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) directive on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is adhered to by traders and customers if voted into power in November.
Decision to aspire to become BBA President
It is expected because the place in contest is a trading environment where I’m richly involved and I’m a stakeholder as one of the builders. Periodically, we elect leaders every three years that will manage the complex and the tenure of the incumbent executive ends in November. As a constitutional provision matter, there must be election of those that will succeed the present executive whose tenure ends in November this year. I’m not new in the game, hence I have being in it since inception as the youngest member of the Builders Forum.
Position previously held in BBA
Yes, I’ am a member of the Builders Forum, an umbrella body comprising distinguished men and women that initiate the idea and built the edifice. I also contested for the office of the General Secretary and won as the youngest Secretary in 2005 at the age of 25 and till date nobody has broken that record. Therefore, it is on record, I remain the youngest Secretary which the association has produced. I was the Chairman of Abia Plaza for five years and I was re-elected unopposed and at the end of my second term, I declined to be elected for the third time hence made way for someone else to take over the position. So, having paid my dues. That is why I’m vying for the office of the President of the Association.
Why I am better than other constants
Like I said earlier, I have paid my dues as servant of the people and because I’m deeply rooted in the administration of the market, many urged me to serve them in a higher capacity. Also, I’m one of the core businessmen that relocated from Lagos Island where I did my apprenticeship and started my own business. I have cordial relationship with the founding fathers who many of us as apprentice looked up to and aspired to get to their level. I never knew that I will rise to contest the office of Balogun Business Association President. To answer your question, I repeat, I have paid my dues and I understand the Association in and out having participated in the construction of the complex. I served as General Secretary and I built Abia Plaza.
So, I’m coming with innovation to return the complex to the original plans and programme initiated by the founding fathers. If you take a closer look at the way things are at the complex presently, you will agree with me that at a point there was a deviation from the original plan of the founding fathers. The idea was to construct complex for a conducive atmosphere for business transactions. Unfortunately, the original plan has been distorted to a large extent. This and other innovations are what I’m coming to effect. In nutshell, I’m in the race to return BBA to the ideal of the founding fathers which was the reason we left Lagos Island to construct the largest one-stop market in the Sub Sahara Africa.
The environment we will be made more conducive again for traders and customers and to ensure the complex is indeed, one-stop business complex for customers. Therefore, having put up such edifice, it must be judiciously and jealously guided against infiltrators and to make sure we adhere to the Master plan. For this purpose, I tagged my motto in this race is “Rescue Team”
What other challenges will you tackle if elected
Let me start by giving you a brief history of the ultra-modern shopping complex. The International Centre for Commerce (ICC) is owned by Balogun Business Association (BBA) which was incorporated under the laws of the Federal Government of Nigeria in 1994. As the name connotes, BBA is principally made of traders and business people formerly located in the Balogun area of Lagos Island and the immediate environs. The idea of constructing the Mega Shopping Complex was conceived as the ultimate answer to the intractable problems associated with our former location. Therefore, the major challenge like I said earlier is near distortion of the Master Plan of the complex as conceived by the founding fathers which we are going to bring back. And because I was part of the builders from day-one, I know the essence for which the edifice was put up and I know the original plan and I promise to return the complex to that plan. The place was made to be a one-stop shopping centre where you drive in, park your car conveniently and do your shopping and go. Where we the traders can also come to without hassle, park our cars and do our businesses. The loading bay that is where goods are loaded and offloaded must be overhauled and the walkways linking the clusters was constructed so that if it’s raining, you won’t be drench by the rain. These are some of the things that are being distorted. Before now, we had a conducive and convenient environment in the complex where people come in to shop without intimidation by any government agency or individuals or groups, but as I speak with it is no longer the case. So, these are some of the challenges the new executive is going to face.
Do you have the backing of BBA founding fathers?
I don’t think there is any founding father that will not key into my vision and agenda to return BBA to the original master plan. Most of them are disappointed at the way the complex is and I want to believe that they will key into my rescue mission. Also, I’ am the bridge between the young and old generation in the market. This is so because I’ am the last man standing. I was and I’m still the youngest member of the Builders Forum and majority of shop owners are young people and somebody must tell the story of how the complex came to be and that person is me.
From my performance and acceptability, I don’t think that the founding fathers will have any reason not to support me. Nobody will build a house and watch it distorted or will want his child or dream killed. They see me as someone who will continue from where they stop and they also believe that with me, their child which is the complex will be adequately protected.
Do you have government endorsement?
Like you rightly observed the place where the complex is situated is under the Federal Government jurisdiction and so far the relationship between the Association and the Federal Government is cordial. I’m quite sure that there is harmonious relationship between the association and government especially, when we don’t default in the payment of rent and dues as at when due. And it is only when we default that is the only thing that will make government to frown at us. However, we have been up and doing in line with the Deed of Assignment.