Ayodele Harun
The National Grand Patron of Ndigboamaka Progressive Market Association, Professor Obiora Okonkwo, has urged governments across the country to support and recognise traders in order to enable them to create more jobs for the teeming youths through apprenticeships and increase their contributions to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Professor Okonkwo stated this while receiving the newly elected Executives of the Ndigboamaka Progressives Market Association (NPMA), on Thursday in Abuja.
He said the NPMA is made up of 58 markets in Lagos State and constitutes about 60 to 70 percent of Lagos State Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
Professor Okonkwo further stated that the NPMA members, who have trillions of Naira in daily turnover, also have millions of youth who they had engaged in apprenticeship and mentorship training.
“These people are representing a turnover of trillions of Naira in this our economy. And, as simple as they may look, they cannot be taken for granted. These people have millions of youths who are engaged in mentorships in the different markets in Lagos and as such, they should be recognised.
“Those are going to be our objectives moving forward. They need all the support and indeed, they should have more to grow their businesses. The bigger their businesses become the more trillions of Naira turnover they generate and the more taxes they pay to the nation. This also means more customs duty and most of them have moved from trading to manufacturing and assembling.
“So, these are not just the ordinary buy and sell kind of business and the future of a lot of youths are in their hands. These people you see are mentoring a lot of youths and taking them away from the crime world.
“From the records, there are 58 markets that form the membership of Ndigboamaka Progressive and these markets are predominantly dominated by people of Southeast origin. I am aware that you are dishing out a turnover of trillions of Naira in your different business activities and you are engaging millions of people especially youth of different ages.
“So, this is a group that needs every form of support from the leadership of this country. They need recognition beyond what they have now”, he said.
While commending the group for a crisis-free election, Okonkwo said “It is a thing of joy that they had a successful election without rancour; nobody is going to court, no fighting, and no rigging”.
According to Okonkwo, “the fact that they are all gathered here and they all agreed and conducted election amicably and peacefully, it is a manifestation of unity among them. As the National Grand Patron, I did not interfere in their election. I allowed them to choose their leaders.”
The newly elected President NPMA, Comrade Chinedu Ukatu, commenting, said his focus for the next five years will be to unite the markets, address the challenges of multiple taxations and facilitate exchange among the traders.
“What we are trying to do is to harmonize how we are going to do our trade, we are having multiple taxation and we have a lot of challenges in our markets.
“What my presidency wants to achieve is to unite the markets, unite the traders and facilitate trade”, Comrade Ukatu added.
