Traders

Enugu, Nov. 24, 2023: Traders in Enugu State have lamented the worsening economic situation occasioned by skyrocketing inflation in the country.

The traders stated in Enugu on Thursday how inflation was negatively affecting prices of goods in the market, as they kept increasing on daily basis.

They appealed to the federal government to urgently do the needful to arrest the rising inflation in the country.

A trader at Abakpa-Nike market, Mr Ugonna Ebo, who deals on plastics, said that his business was always confronted with constant price change.

Ebo noted that the development was slowing down his business, as customers complained of price increase, which most times scare them away from patronage.

He said that a quality plastic bucket, which used to sell at N500 before now, was selling at N1,200, adding that customers who could not afford the quality one, were forced to buy inferior bucket.

According to him, many of my customers are seeking for alternative to enable them cushion the effect of the bad economy in the country.

A food seller at Ogbete market, who pleaded anonymity, said the inflation was worse in food commodity, making it difficult for average Nigerians to feed well.

She said that rice, which was a staple food for many Nigerians, was now considered luxury for the rich, as a 50kg bag of foreign rice was selling at between N55,000 and N60,000 while the local rice now sold for between N42,000 and N45,000.

She wondered how the low income earners and the poor people would survive in the present difficult economic situation, which she added was not improving any time soon.

A girl, who runs a provision at new heaven market Miss Chidera Ani said she was at the verge of closing down her shop, as she could not cope with soaring prices of goods in the market.

Ani lamented that most of her customers, who preferred to buy soft drinks like Coca Cola and others have stopped doing so, especially with the price adjustment to N300, as against N200 previously sold.

Lagos, July 10, 2023: The Lagos State Task Force has matched words with actions by clearing traders off Oshodi rail tracks, under Apongbon Bridge and other areas, vowing to sustain the tempo.

A statement by Mr Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, spokesman, Lagos State Task Force, said Chairman of the agency, CSP Shola Jejeloye, led the enforcement on Monday.

Abdulraheem said the exercise was to rid the state of indiscriminate display of goods on the highways, road sides, kerbs and railway tracks across various parts of the metropolis.

He said simultaneous operations were tactically supervised by Jejeloye to implement directives of the government to all environmental agencies to restore sanity on the walkways, highways and rail tracks turned markets.

The chairman said that the trading activities not only debase the environment but also cause pain and discomfort to Lagos residents.

Jejeloye said several notices had been served to traders, especially those at Oshodi rail track where the agency carried out sensitisation and subtle warning on May, 23, to discourage them from returning.

 He added that the efforts to keep the illegal activities off the tracks fell on deaf ears.

“Our warnings have been sent out to them for as long as two years ago but they don’t listen.

“We served notices at Fagba where some people built shanties, kiosks from Fagba all the way to Pen Cinema and Isokoko, thereby shortchanging motorists and pedestrians who should enjoy free movement along that axis.

“It is completely unfair to all Lagosians and we will make sure that they are all cleared out with immediate effect,” he said.

The chairman said although both the buyers and sellers involved in these activities should be arrested, he would strike a balance and avoid double jeopardy.

He said that only goods found on the rail tracks were seized.

Jejeloye urged the market leaders to come down to the headquarters of the agency at Oshodi for a round table to seek permanent solution to curb the menace.

In a related development, the task force carried out a night to dawn raid underneath Apongbon Bridge, where traders were asked to vacate to forestall environmental mishaps that could jeopardise safety and security.

Jejeloye said that the action was necessary following the reopening of Eko Bridge which was shut down for 15 months due to fire damage caused by activities of traders.

He added that the measures were necessary at the location and other strategic locations where the activities of street traders posed major threat to the environment and general well-being of Lagos residents.

He appealed to all traders to relocate to the market complex provided by the state government and desist from carrying out counter-productive activities.

“Achieving a Mega City status as enshrined in the THEMES Agenda of the State Government is a collective effort and all hands must be on deck to ensure its sustenance.

“We will carry out this enforcement exercise on a daily basis to ensure we achieve our aim, and anyone found going against the law will be arrested and prosecuted accordingly,” the task force boss said.

Abuja, July 3, 2023: The Nigerian Union of Traders Association in Ghana (NUTAG) on Monday called for deeper trade relations between Nigeria and Ghana.

President of NUTAG, Mr Chukwuemeka Nnaji gave the advice in Abuja.

Nnaji acknowledged the existing economic ties between the two countries but decried the maltreatment of Nigerians in Ghana, saying it is causing a lot of concern among compatriots.

According to him, Nigeria was Ghana’s third most important partner in 2010, a relation that accounted for almost 10 per cent of total Ghanaian foreign trade.

“The Nigerian government has been very good in defending its own citizens in the diaspora and it has done it for us who live in Ghana.

“The government has been giving us massive attention and it has been answering us when ever we call.

“President Bola Tinubu’s administration will do well to have a good relationship with the Ghana government for us to accept one another as brothers and live in peace and harmony.

“We also call on the federal government to negotiate with the Ghanaian government to give us concessions.’’

He said such concessions should come in the form of resident permits.

“This is because it costs the average Nigerian in Ghana between N500, 000 and N700, 000 to renew his or her resident permit annually.

“This is a very huge amount of money. The immigration service has actually stopped giving us resident permit but it has to give us work permit.

“In Ghana if you are looking for resident permit alone, it becomes very difficult to get.”

He stated that the Ghanaian authorities have created an environment that has made it mandatory for everybody to be on the platform for a work permit, which costs 500USD.

He also decried a situation whereby Nigerians have to renew their National Identification Number (NIN) ID Card at the cost of 60USD yearly.

“This is a problem for us and many members of NUTAG complained bitterly about it.

“I do not know how much one should have to be able to meet all these requirements, especially for some of us who live with our family members/dependents.

“When you have up to three or four members of your family and you have to renew their permits it costs you a lot.

“Imagine spending N2 million, N3 million or 4 million for only resident permits. How much are you generating?

“We, therefore, call on the governments of Nigeria and Ghana to find ways of reducing the cost for us,’’ he said.

Nnaji explained that negotiations have become necessary.

He suggested that resident permits in the host country should be reduced to 100USD for ECOWAS member states.

“100USD will not be a huge amount for people to pay and it should not be an issue for us.

“But the Ghanaian authorities have stopped issuing us with resident permits, rather they have added work permits to the requirements that have to be fulfilled for foreign traders.

“Even as shareholders of a company, it is a challenge for many of us.

“I travelled to the northern part of Ghana and fellow Nigerians who met me literally cried over the difficulty they are facing in the attempt to renew their stay in Ghana because of the price.”

Onitsha (Anambra), July 1, 2023: Some traders on Friday stormed Onitsha South Local Government Area (LGA) Headquarters in Anambra, to protest alleged plot by the council chairman, Mr Emeka Orji, to eject them from their Oduigbo section of the Ochanja Central market.

The protesters, who were led by their Chairman, Mr Chukwudi Eke, accused the council chairman of collaborating with the chairman of Ochanja Central market, Mr Bonaventure Muo, to eject them in the name of building modern shops.

They carried placards, some of which read “council chairman, Emeka Orji, what have we done to you”, “some of us are widows”, “we earn our living from Oduigbo market”, “Gov. Soludo come to our rescue, they want to demolish the shops in the market to acquire more shops for themselves”, among others.

Eke, addressing newsmen on the protest, said that the market chairman and the council chairman, gave them two days to vacate the market or they will use carterpillars to demolish the over 300 shops.

According to him, they said Sunday and Monday would be used for the demolition and asked us to vacate the market before they come up with their weapons of destruction.

“Eighty per cent of the traders here are widows who earn their living from the Oduigbo market,” he said.

He appealed to Gov. Charles Soludo to come to their rescue, saying they have no other person to understand their predicament except him alone.

The spokesperson for the widows, Mrs Ifeoma Emeka, lamented that the widows, who make up majority of the traders in the market, were being treated like slaves by the government.

The council chairman, Orji, declined to comment on the issue, while the Ochanja market chairman, Muo, said he was working based on instruction from Government.

Grain traders in suburb markets in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are rejecting electronic transactions from customers, in spite of the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

At the Nyanya, Karu, Mararaba and Masaka Markets on Tuesday in Abuja, the traders were not accepting electronic transactions.

According to the traders, they are buying the commodities directly from the rural farmers who are not involved in any form of electronic banking transactions.

Mrs Kadijat Ibrahim, a trader at Nyanya Market, said that although the number of her customers was reducing, she would continue to demand cash for her goods.

“I have a bank account but because I cannot also transfer money to the people I buy from, I won’t accept such mode of transaction. Though I am losing a lot of customers.

“I don’t accept transfer or Point of Sale transactions because we buy our grains from local farmers and we pay them cash, because they don’t do any form of electronic banking.

“The local farmers at the bush markets where we buy our products can only sell their grains to you if you have cash,” she said.

Mr Ismaila Abu, another grain trader at the Mararaba Market, said he does not accept any form of electronic transactions for his goods.

“I use a little capital for my business and I wouldn’t want it to be held in any bank.

“I need my cash at hand, so that I can purchase the products that will keep my business going.

“I do not have a bank account, but I cannot go and open one now. I will wait until all these stress in banks is over,” he said.

Mr Ayo Ade, another trader of grain at the Gariki Market, appealed to the CBN to make cash available for citizens engaged in small businesses, for sales to improve.