By Olatunde Ajayi
The National Union of Market Traders Employers of Nigeria (NUMTEN) says it will collaborate with other market stakeholders to address high cost of food and other commodities in Nigeria.
NUMTEN’s National President, James Ogu, said this on Wednesday, when the union paid a courtesy visit to the Oyo State Commissioner for Trade, Industry, Investment and Cooperatives in Ibadan.
According to Ogu, many traders now hide under increase in the pump price of petroleum, high dollar to naira exchange rate, tax and dues to arbitrarily increase prices of food and other essential commodities in the market.
Also speaking, NUMTEN’s Chairman in Oyo State, Ola Makinde, said that the union would collaborate with relevant government agencies, departments and other critical market stakeholders to establish a centre in each zone, where issues could be reported and properly addressed.
According to him, part of the aims and objectives of the NUMTEN is to defend integrity and independence of the market traders in Nigeria, by putting an end to activities of unregistered associations or groups exploiting traders in Nigeria.
“We are working to ensure cooperation between the union and other market bodies, to maintain highest standard, etiquettes and discipline among market traders,” he said.
On his part, the Oyo State Secretary of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Adebayo Aribatise, said that NLC, as mother of all unions in Nigeria, recognised NUMTEN and was in solidarity with its activities across markets in Nigeria.
Aribatise said that NLC in the state had the mandate of ensuring that all unions that want to operate in the state complied with the rules and regulations laid down by the state government to achieve its goals.
In his response, the Commissioner for Trade Industry Investment and Cooperatives, Demola Ojo, said that the current administration would continue to work with relevant stakeholders to improve ease of doing business in the state.
Ojo, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Bunmi Babalola, said that Gov. Seyi Makinde’s led administration had addressed issue of tax multiplicity on food commodities and improved access to cheaper food, through various initiatives.
He said that the government had identified and was working with 12 market clusters that housed different traders associations in the state, to achieve harmony among traders.
The commissioner, while charging NUMTEN to carry out membership drive through provision of adequate welfare initiatives, said that the government would not impose one association or union on another.
He said that the government was ready to partner NUMTEN and other market bodies, to address high cost of food commodities and to improve ease of doing business in the state. (NAN)
