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Our Reporter: VINCENT KALU

Traders in Alaba International Market, Ojo, Lagos, are crying over the deplorable state of the road to the market. The condition of the road has brought untold hardship to the people, just as it has adversely affected their businesses. Many customers that cannot stand the torment and distress of plying the road, have virtually stopped coming to Alaba, preferring to do their businesses somewhere else.

The craters and gullies on Alaba market road could swallow up a small car. Now and then, trailers carrying containers loaded with imported goods from seaports find it difficult meandering through these craters and gullies. On many occasions, containers have fallen, sometimes with the trailers. Apart from incalculable human casualties, goods worth millions of naira are damaged.

The market, which has a population of about 100, 000 traders, brings untold revenue to Ojo Local Government area, as well as the Lagos State government. They collect various levies and dues from traders, shop owners and others who provide ancillary or support services in the market.

Bemoaning the traders’ plight, Chief Stanley Okafor told Daily Sun that it was an irony that a market that is said to be the biggest electrical and electronics market in West Africa, has the worst roads. According to him, coming to the market to do business is nightmarish. As a result of this, customers now prefer going to other markets to do businesses, even when the prices of goods are fair here, he lamented.

“It is unfortunate, and one of the tragedies of this nation that the goose that lays the golden egg is starved to death. Apart from the statutory allocation from the Federal Government, this is the market that sustains the council, and the state government equally generates huge revenue from here. Yet, the last thing the government, both the local and the state could do was to put the road in good shape in order to make it conducive for smooth business operations and transactions. We pay all sorts of revenues and the government doesn’t see the reason to make life comfortable for the traders and other who access the road to their homes.”

Ibezimako is an importer. He told the reporter that he had been adequately punished by the bad road. In his words, trailers bringing his containers loaded with goods from Tin Can Ports had fallen on the road, with goods worth millions of naira damaged. He said it was regrettable that anything that does not affect or concern the men in power was not an issue in Nigeria.

“A sympathetic response to the suffering of their people is never a strong point in Nigerian leadership. Do you want to tell me that the local government chairman is not aware of the deplorable road or the state governor has not read in the papers how containers are falling and injuring people and damaging goods? Yet the owners of such goods could have obtained bank facilities to import them.”

He pointed out that about four years ago, during the electioneering campaigns when the traders threatened to vote against the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the state government realised that the traders could use their numerical strength to push them out of power. He informed that men of the Lagos State Ministry of Works were brought to patch the road, which the rain washed away few months after the 2011 general elections.

“They have started again. Their posters and banners are everywhere. Even the present chairman is aspiring to higher office. It will be interesting to see what he would tell us when he comes here to solicit our votes.  This time around, we are not going to tell them to come and repair this road. What we are going to do is in our hearts, and the election result will speak our minds.”

A trader, Rueben Obiozor, also poignantly told Daily Sun how importers groan under heavy levies for bringing containers to the market. According to him, every trailer with 40 feet container pays about N15, 000, while the one ferrying 20 feet container pays N10, 000. “These containers often fall because of the craters on the road, and it does not concern the government. If we are allowed to collect the levies for six months, we would use it to build the road to international standard,” Obiozor said.

The immediate past Chairman of Alaba International Market (Electronic Section), Chief Celestine Ezeani, implored the state governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola to come to their rescue. “The last time the governor visited Ojo, we were reliably informed that he instructed the local government to liaise with the state commissioner for Works to commence work on the Ojo Igbede Road. But since then, nothing has been done about it. This deplorable state of the road is killing our businesses. The gridlock is scaring aware our customers. A market that does not have patrons faces extinction.”

Efforts made to speak with the authorities of Ojo Local Government area were unfruitful.
http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=90506

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