…holds 2 days sensitization workshop
By Precious Oham
The Chairman, National Union of Market Traders Employers of Nigeria, NUMTEN, Ekiti State Chapter, Comrade Morakinyo Akintayo said the Union will provide a conducive environment for market traders in the State.
He stated this on Thursday at the two-day sensitization workshop for the Iyalojas, Iyalajes, Babalojas, state and local government executives of the Union with the theme: “Understanding Our Roles And Functions As A Member Of ‘NUMTEN’ For Proper Efficiency And Accountability.”
While reassuring the commitment of the executive to prioritize the welfare of its members, he pledged to eradicate forced loans through the provision of soft loans to ease their sufferings.
“We are here not only to make money in the market. We are going to provide a conducive environment for the market traders to trade. We are going to support them with loans and grants supported by the Federal government and supported by individuals and NGO bodies.
“We are going to renovate the market structures not only the market structures, the toilets in markets are not in good places. We are going to renovate the place and put someone there, who will be monitoring the activities happening in the toilet and bathroom.
“We will sink boreholes in all the market centres in Ekiti State. We have the NGO that is going to support this effort and by God’s Grace, we shall be successful at the end of it all.
“When you look at what people are putting the market traders today, you will discover that some of them are being forced to collect loans, grants from all these loan firms. I want to eradicate all these. I’m going to give them soft loans so that it will ease their sufferings and it will increase the market trading.”
On her part, the State Controller of Labour, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ekiti State Office, Grace Adeleye said she anticipates a different approach in trading activities by the traders after the workshop.
According to her, “Their duty is in a way, increase the social awareness of what market trading really is. They are to give coverage to the market traders and every facility that they can device by means of innovation to make market trading to be different from what it use to be.
“To the world that claimed marketing, it’s supposed to be a social entity that would support the economic activity of any environment or country where it belongs to.
“We expect that it should be different from the way people do trading in the time past in an unkept environment, under an unsafe situation and doing things without due processes not observant to particular laws. But this one is going to really unite them, to be able to have a trajectory to doing trading in a very modest way.”
The Resource Person, Oguntade Adeseye Oladapo said that the objectives of the workshop is to strengthen capacity, advocacy and engagement, public awareness, among others.
He equally noted that the expected outcomes will enhance their decision making, capacity building, market engagement and economic development.
