The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Traders

  • Traders protest levy

    Women traders at the popular Eke Awka market in Anambra State marched on the market yesterday to protest an alleged levy by a factional leader.

    The factions are led by Emeka Jude Agumadu and Nze Christian Igwebuike Chinwuko.

    Their leader, Mrs. Chinwe Ezeigwe, told reporters yesterday that the women decided to carry out a peaceful protest to reject a levy being imposed on them by a factional leader in the market.

    Mrs. Ezeigwe is also the Anambra State market women’s leader.

    “Our protest is to let the women and even men in the market know that the levy is a fraud, and that we will not pay it.”

  • Traders vs Tecno: Court orders detainee’s release

    Traders vs Tecno: Court orders detainee’s release

    The Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has ordered the release of an electronics dealer, Mr Oscar Modebe, who is being held by the police.

    Modebe, an executive of the Phone and Allied Products Dealers Association, was detained since July 12.

    He was said to have been arrested as he sought to prevent a fracas when officials of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) stormed the Computer Village in Ikeja and carted away phones and allied products from the traders.

    Ruling on an ex-parte application dated August 8 and filed by the applicant’s lawyer James Ogunyemi seeking to enforce Modebe’s fundamental rights, Justice Michael Savage held that his continued detention was illegal.

    The Assistant Inspector-General of Police Zone 2, Commissioner of Police Lagos State and Tecno Telecoms Limited are the defendants.

    The judge, after granting leave that the application be heard during the long vacation and urgently, held:  “It is further ordered that the 2nd defendant should release forthwith the applicant who had since 12th July 2014 been in custody of and is still in the custody of the 2nd defendant now at the office of the Commissioner of Police (SARS) Ikeja, Lagos.”

    It was learnt that the police insisted Modebe must identify and produce the “unruly street traders” who caused a breach of the peace when SON officials came to perform their duty before he is released.

    Modebe had sought a declaration that his arrest and detention without charge is unlawful and in breach of his fundamental rights to liberty, freedom of movement and his dignity as a person.

    He sought an order enforcing his fundamental rights to dignity of his person, liberty, fair haring and movement as enshrined n the constitution by directing his immediate and unconditional release by the 1st and 2nd defendants or in the alternative, an order of the court admitting him to bail.

    The traders’ association also petitioned the Inspector-General of Police and Minister of Interior over the alleged harassment, wrongful and unlawful arrests and detention of their members.

    In the petition copied to the Senate President David Mark, House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal and the Director General, State Security Service, the association said it was concerned about Modebe’s fate in police detention for over two months without charge at Tecno’s alleged instance.

    Tecno, it was learnt, alleged that the traders are selling sub-standard products bearing its name, hence its complaint to the police and SON.

    The traders, however, denied the allegation.

     

  • Market fire: Ajimobi gives N10m to traders

    Market fire: Ajimobi gives N10m to traders

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has disbursed N10 million to traders of Aleshinloye Market, Ibadan, whose shops were gutted by fire recently.

    Ajimobi, while presenting the cheques to the traders at the weekend, said the gesture was in fulfillment of his earlier promise to assist the affected traders to cushion the effect of the losses they suffered during the inferno.

    He praised the traders for their contributions to the state’s socio-economic development, adding that his administration would not relent in its efforts at ensuring people’s improved living condition.

    The governor said his administration had earmarked N300 million as interest-loans to assist traders, while markets had been provided for the traders who were removed from the streets.

    He called on politicians to desist from engaging in campaign of calumny, politics of deceit, character assassination and violence.

    Ajimobi urged the traders to continue to support the urban renewal programme of his administration and to continue to sustain the state’s existing peace, reminding them that meaningful development could only be achieved in an atmosphere of peace.

  • Back-to-school: Boom time for traders

    Back-to-school: Boom time for traders

    With a new academic session just a week away, shopping for new school items has reached a frenzy. And it is boom time for traders in the second hand (tokunbo) market, notwithstanding the health problem in the country. TONIA ‘DIYAN writes.

    Though the health threat occasioned by the devastating effect of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), may have increased, activities in major Lagos markets have not been put on hold. And as school resumption approaches, traders and shoppers of back-to-school items are seen going about their normal economic activities.

    In spite of the dreaded EVD that has become a major concern to all, major markets in Lagos, including the popular Akube market (a general name for used items markets), are buzzing. Patronage in these markets has   increased, no thanks to the school resumption date barely a week away, as parents are scrambling to purchase back-to-school items for their children and wards.

    A visit to Kantagua, Aswani, Oshodi as well as the popular Balogun Markets, all in Lagos, lends credence to this, as people streamed through the labyrinthine markets to buy their desired items. This has been the trend since a fortnight. Indeed, parents, especially those who cannot afford to buy from stores or malls, have found succor in the Akube markets, which they have been used to for many years.

    On a visit to some of the markets, The Nation Shopping met with Adaeze, a mother of three, who was at Balogun Market to shop for school items for her last child, Ikechukwu. On her shopping list were four main items- a pair of school shoes, bag, launch packs and grocery. “Sister, sister!” the vendors, who were mostly women of her age, called out to her in a bid to have her patronise them, lifting up school wares such as bags and shoes, to catch her attention.

    After what appeared like a 10-minute dodged course, narrowly missing vendors, porters and motorcycles, and squeezing through crowds and leaping over drainage, Adaeze made it to the narrow alley, where she was surrounded by beautiful and colourful back-to-school items. Picking through thousands of multi-coloured back packs and lunch packs was a big task; so, she deployed a strategy of choosing by colours, patterns and prices. Next task was the haggling over prices. “One can’t be too greedy when trying to purchase beautiful school items for kids,” she said to herself.

    Covered in beads of sweat, Adaeze continued her shopping spree as she found her way to the Oke-Arin Market, home to grocery items Oke-Arin market is like a roadside mall- a market with the freshest vegetables, fruits, livestock and starches. In addition to organic items, provisions like canned milk, sugar and cereal could also be purchased here in bulk for boarding students. After about two hours at Oke Arin, Adaeze left with carton of biscuits, cans of beverages and pack of cereals, amongst others, for Ikechukwu, her 12-year-old boy in JSS 3.

    With two items down and two more to go on the list, fatigue set in and Adaeze’s endurance to continue the shopping mission wore thin. She had already trekked miles through maze of vendors at both Balogun and Oke Arin Markets.

    Ordinarily, one would think sellers of back-to-school items should pace around their stalls and shops, particularly those who sell in the open traditional market, focusing on the road as if they are expecting an important visitor. The reason is that sales, which usually pick up at this time yearly, have been cut below half, since the outbreak of Ebola in the country.

    For Rita Eze, who sells school bags and shoes, told The Nation Shopping that she had found a way of tackling the problem before the reversal of resumption date. “If I wanted to buy 200 pieces of items to resell after the summer break, I had to reduce it to 100 items  because I assumed that five customers, out of 10, would still hold on to be sure of when schools would re-open before shopping,” Eze explained. This is unlike some others who started buying school supplies the first week of the holiday. The back-to-school season is the second largest sales period for retailers and it offers a spate of new designs and a firm reason for parents to head for stores with their wards.

    Due to the large number of children returning to schools after a two-month holiday, some retailers claimed this is the peak sales period for them and that if resumption date wasn’t recalled, it would have been disastrous.

    In a chat with The Nation Shopping, Omolara Akanni, a trader in Katangua, said the school resumption has boosted her sales more and she smiles home regularly, making good returns from hawking pencils, ‘biros’, erasers and other school items in the market.

    However, in a world where many children are struggling with academic overloads and growing demands on their time, parents are expected to provide them with the materials to ease their learning.

    Parents are making the best use of this last week to shop for their children’s needs. This is the period parents’ flood shops dealing in school items to buy their children’s needs for the new session.

    Adaeze advises that for prudent management of available funds, parents should have a list of everything that their wards need and work through it. Sharing these needs into two sections, she explained, is a wise decision. “One part for those items to be purchased once in a session and the second part should be for items that will be replenished during the school year. The list will ensure that one does not overshoot one’s budget. It is also proper for school supplies to be bought before resumption and with the child’s consent. And like everything else, school items have fashion trend and children are often disappointed when latest designs are sold out before their parents get to the market or when their sizes are not found,” she admonished.

     

  • Ajimobi’s wife empathises with Alesinloye traders

    The wife of the Governor of Oyo state, Mrs Florence Ajimobi has commiserated with shop owners at Alesinloye International Market over the loss they suffered in the fire outbreak that ravaged the market last Saturday.

    Mrs Ajimobi in a statement by her Special Assistant on Media, Yejide Gbenga-Ogundare, said she felt their pains over the loss of their goods worth millions of naira.

    She prayed that God almighty will grant them the strength and fortitude to bear the loss.

    According to Mrs Ajimobi, “it is true that such a disaster is a setback but God will in His infinite mercies raise divine help for all those affected by the fire.

    “This is indeed a sad occurrence which has negatively affected the lives of many families, their economy and the economy of the state.

    “However, I pray that God will meet everyone affected at the point of their needs and help them recover every loss.

    “We feel their pains and understand what they are going through, it is our sincere prayer that this unfortunate incident will not cripple their businesses.

    “We pray for God’s mercy and favour on everyone and it is our prayer that we will not experience such again,” the statement said

     

  • The day after: Aleshinloye market traders recount losses

    The day after: Aleshinloye market traders recount losses

    Ten years after a fire at the popular Aleshinloye Market in Ibadan, the Oyo State, part of the facility went up in flames again last Friday, destroying goods and property. OSEHEYE OKWUOFU reports on the cause of the inferno and efforts being made to restore the market and assist the victims get back to business.

    Last Friday 15, August 2014 darkness fell on the popular Aleshinloye Market in Ibadan when a night fire outbreak wrecked havoc, destroying goods and property worth several millions of naira.

    The victims, numbering over 200 are yet to recover from the shock of the fire disaster, even as some of them were making effort to clear the ruins of the destruction and start reconstruction of their stalls when The Nation visited last Monday.

    Others who wore glooming look mill around their burnt shops, discussing with one another the fire incident.

    Bricklayers and labourers were busy moving bricks and blocks and other building materials to site to begin reconstruction on some of the burnt open shops.

    A victim, Mr Luke Onwuka, dealer in textile materials whose shop was completely burnt said the incident was the worst ever since the last fire incident on March 9, 2004.

    Onwuka who said he does not know where to start from having lost over N300,000 worth of goods to the inferno blamed the fire outbreak on power surge .

    He said: “according to what I heard when I came here, it was as a result of power surge. They said the electricity supply company brought high voltage and some people who have their shops around that area left some of their appliances on, and immediately the light came the freezer went up in smoke and flame. It happened on Friday around 8.30pm.

    “By the time the fire began to spread, the fire fighters had arrived with four water tankers but three out of the four did not have water. If the four had water they would have been able to stop the fire”.

    Many of the traders expressed concern that the fire could do so much damage in spite of the presence of a fire station within the market, and called on the authorities to investigate the remote causes and why the fire men were unable to curb the inferno.

    “The victims should have been saved the bitter pills if the fire fighters in the market were alive to their duties”, said one of the women traders who would not want her names in print.

    Mrs Iyabo Owanikin, owner of T120 and a dealer in jewelries said she was heartbroken when she got the news particularly a day after she stocked her shop. She appealed to the state government to with the reconstruction of the burnt shops as well as give financial assistance.

    Also, Mrs Easter Oladeji, who sells clothes at shop T121 next to Mrs Owanikin wants the management of the market to assist in putting an end to fire disasters at the facility as this has continued to bring untold hardship on the traders.

    The Oyo State Emergency Management Agency (OYSEMA) officials were busy at the market on Monday, making a list of shop owners affected by the fire.

    One of the officials who pleaded anonymity told The Nation that they came to the market on the directive of the governor who asked that a comprehensive list of victims of the fire be compiled for urgent assistance.

    Governor Abiola Ajimobi who was said to have visited the market at 2am, about four hours after the fire outbreak has pledged government’s assistance to the victims of the disaster within the next one week.

    The governor, who summoned leaders of the market to a meeting on Monday, made the pledge while inspecting the level of damage at the market and expressed sympathy with the traders.

    Apart from first visiting the market by 2am on Saturday before visiting the place again later that day in the afternoon to identify with the affected traders, Governor Ajimobi has directed all the top government officials to visit the victims to assure them of government concern and support.

    He described the fire incident as very unfortunate, pledging that necessary machinery would be set in motion to provide succour for the victims to cushion the effect of the inferno.

    Governor Ajimobi recalled his experience when his private residence in Lagos was gutted by fire in 1993, praying that God, who assisted him to overcome the incidence, would also compensate the traders.

    He directed the affected traders to form a committee to meet with government representatives for the provision of necessary assistance.

    The governor urged the leadership of the market to ensure the equitable distribution of whatever assistance offered by the government, stressing that it should not be politicized.

    The Chairman of the (Fancy) section of the market affected by the fire, Mr Rahman Olabamiji said no fewer than 1000 shops were affected , while appreciating the state governor and Caretaker Chairman of Ibadan South West, Alhaji Taoheed Adeleke for their prompt visit.

    Olabamiji further thanked Governor Ajimobi for his past assistance to the traders, just as he pleaded for kind assistance to the victims to cushion the effect of the huge loss.

    He blamed the fire men for not rising promptly to the challenge, adding that the fire would have been put under control if the firefighters had water in their tankers.

    Investigation revealed that when the fire initially started, five shops were affected while the private night guards on duty alerted men of Oyo state fire Service nearby.

    It was also learnt that the fire fighters could however not get enough water to contain the fire, a development which worsened the situation.

    It was a sad tale for many of the traders who got to know of the incident as late as midnight as hoodlums had already vandalized and stolen their goods before getting to the market.

    The leader of Igbo community in the state, Eze Ndigbo of Ibadanland,  Eze Alex Anozie on Monday led other Igbo chiefs to the market to sympathise  with the  traders .

    Describing the loss as very devastating, Anozie made a passionate appeal to the state government to assist the affected traders financially and also help in reconstructing the shops.

    He also suggested that the market be ordered to close by 6pm daily, leaving only the security personnel to man the market, and to open for business  by 7am .

    “I remember that since such was introduced at Onitsha market, frequent fire out break there stopped”, Anozie added.

     

  • Traders seek security

    SECURITY challenges have necessitated a call for more safety measures at  Gwagwalada market in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    The  Gwagwalada Main Market Traders’ Association called on the firm handling the development of the market to fence it and mount gates at strategic places to secure it.

    In a chat with reporters, the chairman of the association, Nura Rimi said the continued threat to life and property in market places in the country has prompted the association to make the call for the security of traders.

    “The market is not fenced. With the security situation in the country, we need gates at strategic positions. The situation in the market is not secured enough because everywhere is open. We are calling on the company developing the market to put in place facilities that will ensure protection of lives and properties,” he said.

    He also pleaded with the company to begin proper electrification of the market to avoid fire outbreak in the market.

    Rimi argued that since the first batch of the market has been completed, it was time the company brought in transformers that can supply electricity to the market.

    “The present executive of the market was elected 40 days ago. We have encountered so many challenges. There are two batches in the level of construction of the market.

    “As the company has completed the first batch, we are pleading with the contractor handling the project to install transformers to supply electricity to the market. The traders are just connecting the light illegally and we are scared of what might happen,” he said.

  • FCT traders protest

    Traders in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) protested yesterday against the service charge ‘imposed’ on them by the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB).

    They said the charge contravenes the transformation agenda of the Goodluck Jonathan-led administration.

    Chairman, Kaura Modern Market Traders Association, Patrick Akudolu, said their protest was to demand explanation from the AEPB and the market managers on why they were charged several times for the same service.

    The traders’ protest ended at the DD 6 venue of the mobile court within the market, where the Senior Magistrate 2, Musa Abdulrazaque Eneye, of Court 3 Magistrate’s Court, Wuse Zone 2, had arrived to commence trial.

    The sight of the protesters led to the cancellation of the trial as the magistrate was ferried out in his official car.

    Akudolu said they had written to the AEPB. He said instead of answers, shops were sealed and trump up charges filed against the traders.

    The Business Development Manager, Berwick Nigeria Limited, Uche Ukaigwe said AEPB was used to enforce the payment of service charges, which the traders did not pay.

  • Traders,shoppers upbeat over Eid-El –Fitri celebrations

    Traders,shoppers upbeat over Eid-El –Fitri celebrations

    As the Muslim fasting draws to a close tomorrow or Sunday, signalling the end of Ramadan and heralding the beginning of Eid-El–Fitri celebrations, traders in major markets and operators of shopping centres across the Lagos metropolis are upbeat over prospects of increased patronage, reports TONIA ‘DIYAN.

    For the supervisor of a footwear store in one of the upscale shopping malls in Lagos, who identified himself simply as Peter, better days are here.

    Having experienced reduced sales because of a lull in customer patronage occasioned by the Ramadan fast, Peter is hopeful of a turnaround in the fortunes of his business following the increased tempo of activities in preparation for Eid-El –Fitri celebrations, which comes at the end of the Muslim fast.

    “People generally come to shop on days when they are more relaxed and this period, Eid-El –Fitri is the best time to stock our shops with varieties, so that people  would come and patronise us. We are ready to host our customers,” Peter, whose shop specialises in casuals and fashionable foot wears, said.

    Apart from dangling cheaper prices for his wears to attract prospective customers, Peter says the car park of the mall where his shop is located, has also been expanded to accommodate more vehicles. Similarly, Femi, a manager at a restaurant located in Palmgrove area of Lagos, says he cannot wait for the Eid-El –Fitri celebrations to give his business a boost, especially after the low sales that hit him while the Muslim fast lasted. According to him, food sales have been cut below half since the Ramadan fasting began; he couldn’t cook the quantity of the food he used to since he does not want any waste.

    “In the past three weeks, we have been counting our losses daily,” he lamented, saying that most of his customers eat once a day and they do that at home.

    However, like Peter, Femi is optimistic that the end of the Muslim fast, which heralds the Eid-El –Fitri, would breathe fresh air to his business, which is why he has since stocked his restaurant with assorted food stuff to cater for the needs of his customers who would be needing the restaurant to chill out. He is counting on the usual human traffic that builds up in and around his shop during such celebrations to increase sales and make more profit.

    Traders in major markets across the metropolis are also hopeful. For instance, Nkechi who sells soup ingredients at Mile 12 Market told The Nation Shopping that she wants to make up for the low sales she recorded during the Ramadan fast. “I have waited long enough for this period when the Muslims will be celebrating. I have realised that I make more sales when they are celebrating one event or the other.  I sell a fast moving item, but since they began their fast a month ago, I haven’t been making sales. This is my breakthrough period, I want to utilise it well and make money,” she declared.

    Nkechi expressed optimism that as the Muslim fast comes to an end, with Muslim fateful gearing up to celebrate few days from today, the Eid-El –Fitri celebration would push up sales for her and her colleagues who sell staple food items because such items are most needed for the season. Olufunke, who operates a local canteen, popularly called ‘MamaPut’, also said she hopes to smile again in a few days after a lull induced by the Ramadan fast. “Most of my customers are Hausa people and since the fasting began, they only eat once and that is in the evening. They always break with their family so my business has been greatly affected,” she said, adding that she has made adequate arrangements to take advantage of the Eid-El –Fitri celebration to increase sales.

    Indeed, across the metropolis, the usual upsurge in human traffic in major markets and shopping places when the yearly Muslim fast ends, can hardly go unnoticed. Such increased tempo of activities resurface to prepare Muslims for their yearly Eid-El –Fitri celebration,which comes upin three days time. Major markets are becoming busier and traders at these markets say patronage are increasing by the day as the end of fasting draws near. The Nation Shopping also observed that sales are picking up with more crowds and more items on display.

    At these markets, traders are pleased with what they call “the Eid-El –Fitri rush” as they get helping hands from their children and relatives so as to cope with the rush. A trader, Mutiat said her daughter helps with packing the items she sells while she bargains and collects money from customers. In some of the malls and markets visited, Muslim kids dressed in their smart mufti wears were seen catching fun and moving around and pointing at what they need; their parents were granting some offers and turning down others.

    The mall being a multipurpose place, accommodates people for different motives. While some go there to shop for their personal items, others usually go there to purchase gift items , they hope to offer to their loved ones. Others visit such malls to unwind. And there are various sections to chose from: the food section, the clothing section, the shoes section, and the bicycle section, among others.

    During Eid-El –Fitri, Muslims are expected to distribute gift items to the needy in line with the Islamic injunction on Zakat ul-fitri, that is  gift to the less privileged. This is why major shopping malls and markets are stocking up food and related items in preparation for the celebration. Findings also show that some traders hoard non-perishable food items for the last week of Ramadan so as to sell at high prices and maximize profit.

    According to a market leader in Badagry, Fatai Akojenu, farmers in the North ensure that these non-perishable items are made available in all major markets, bearing in mind that many of them are Muslims and may have low supplies now because of their involvement in the Ramadan fast. An Islamic cleric, Mallam Abubakar Saliu said it is so because Muslims cook a lot after the Ramadan so that they could distribute food to the less privileged, friends and neighbours in line with Muslim injunction.

    Saliu said: “This is the time to sell in large quantity as we haven’t sold well in the last three weeks.” He added that at this time, Muslims buy more than they did to prepare for the fast when it was going to start because most of them loose appetite for food after fasting the whole day. He said he hopes to make huge sales from the non-perishable food items he has been keeping all through the fasting period.

    Rukayat Eruobodo, a Muslim, who couldn’t stock perishable items before the fast began, said she decided to wait for this last week to buy food items for Eid- El- fitri celebration despite the hike in the prices of these items.

  • Traders jubilate as govt removes abandoned truck

    It was jubilation galore at the Imgbi junction of Amarata Road, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on Saturday. A day earlier, Niger Delta Report had published a commentary on traders’ anger over an abandoned truck. The government took the cue and removed the truck, which was abandoned for over two months after ramming into their business premises.

    They were also grateful to Niger Delta Report for relentlessly calling on the state government to remove the truck. Beaming with smiles, the traders watched as officials of the state government pulled out the wreckage of the truck.

    The articulated vehicle was dangerously suspended on pavements threatening to collapse on them and their shops.

    The truck marked XA 419 KTD was involved in a lone accident on May 21.  It was gathered that the Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Inuro Wills, ordered the removal of the abandoned truck.

    Shortly after pulling out the truck, Wills called this reporter to commend the Niger Delta Report for bringing the matter to his attention.

    “I had earlier directed that this truck should be removed. I didn’t know that it was still there until I read it in The Nation on Friday. We have now removed it. Thank you for the report,” he said.

    Marshals of the Federal Road Safety Corps monitored the removal which temporarily obstructed traffic along the busy Amarata Road. They diverted traffic to one side of the dual carriage road. An earth-moving equipment belonging to the construction giant, Juilus Berger, was used to pull out the abandoned truck.