Connect with us

Business

Traders Decry Poor Patronage Over Bad Road

Published

on

Some traders at the Lagos Trade Fair Complex have expressed concern over the inaccessibility of the road that leads to the consortium of markets located within the Lagos Trade Fair Complex.
The traders, in interviews with The Tide’s source said the poor state of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway that leads to the market had made buyers to avoid the complex.
Reports say that the road which has been under construction since 2006, has been abandoned since four years ago, thereby making people go through enormous difficulties coming to the market.
The President, Balogun Business Association (BBA), one of the markets located in the Mr Tony Obi complex, said that the condition of the access road has made coming to the market a nightmare.
“The worst is that the entrance to the market from the road has become so bad that articulated vehicles, laden with goods constantly fall there because of potholes and gullies.
“Customers now rarely come to the market. Since the rains began, we have not been making sales, customers don’t patronise us again and this is worrisome.
“We are appealing to both the Federal Government and the Lagos State Government to do something about the road to enable us continue to be able to earn a living,” Obi said.
A dry fish importer, Mrs Nkechi Akanwa, said that her last stock of one hundred and thirty cartons lasted for two months with most of it getting spoilt.
According to Akanwa, if there is patronage such a stock will ordinarily not last up to two weeks in her shop and it will all be sold.
“I have customers that come from Ghana and other neighbouring countries to purchase goods from me, but for some time now, they have stopped coming, even the ones from within the country are no le onger coming too,” he said.
The fish merchant, who attributed the low patronage to the bad state of the road, said that if the situation should continue, the traders would not be able to pay for shop rates and cater for their immediate responsibilities.
She called on the management of the Trade Fair Complex to provide palliatives at the entrance of the market, to assist vehicles owners coming to the market.
According to reports, reports that the newly inaugurated Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has assured Lagos residents that rehabilitation work would commence on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, from Mazamaza to Okokomaiko this month.
The governor, announced this during an inspection visit to the Expressway, last week.
“We will ensure that we firm up discussions with the China Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC) and they are able to move back to site, because work has been abandoned here for almost four years,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu noted that despite the completion of the highway from the National Theatre to Mazamaza, indiscriminate dumping of refuse and misuse of the road by traders, have made the route impassable.
He assured that a massive clean-up would take place in the following weeks. “We started the journey from Orile-Iganmu through Mazamaza, and finally here at the Trade Fair.
“The road from National Arts Theatre up to Mazamaza has actually been done, he said.
The governor expressed regret that the heaps of refuse littering the area had made it difficult to appreciate what had been done.

Continue Reading

Business

NPA Assures On Staff Welfare 

Published

on

The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the management will continue to accompany its port infrastructure  and equipment  modernization drive  with the development of the welfare of its personnel.
Dantsoho made the disclosure recently while responding to the commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASGOC) on the  clearing  of the age-long problem of employee stagnation, when the union paid him a courtesy visit at the Authority’s headquarters in Lagos.
A Statement by NPA’s General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, quoted Dantsoho as saying,  “our Port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive will go hand-in-hand with continuous staff welfare improvement”.
The NPA MD disclosed that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch, adding that “talent development constitutes a critical success factor for the actualization of the big hairy audacious goals we have set for ourselves especially in the area of Port competitiveness.
“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boosting their morale.”
Speaking further, Dantsoho commended the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved the over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.
“I must specially appreciate our amiable Minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly”, he sad.
Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the President  of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Comrade Bodunde stated, “In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
Continue Reading

Business

ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

Published

on

National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Elder Olumide Fakanlu, has been elected Vice President of the Federation of ECOWAS Licensed Customs Brokers Association (FELCBA).
The election took place during the FELCBA Congress, held from Tuesday, June 17th to Thursday, June 19th, 2025, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Fakanlu’s emergence as Vice President marks a significant achievement for Nigeria within the regional customs brokerage community.
Apart from Fakanlu, Secretary of the Seme Chapter of ANLCA, Austin Nwosu, was also elected, securing the role of Secretary of Relations with Institutions.
The Nigerian delegation played an active role in the congress, with Michael Ebeatu nominated as a member of the electoral officer team, ensuring a fair and transparent election process.
The three-day congress concluded with delegates undertaking a visit to the Sierra Leone Port, offering insights into the host nation’s maritime operations, followed by a recreational trip to the Tokeh Beach.
The newly elected executives are expected to lead FELCBA in its efforts to harmonize customs brokerage practices, promote trade facilitation, and advocate for the interests of licensed customs brokers across the ECOWAS sub-region.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
Continue Reading

Business

NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement 

Published

on

In a bid to enhance more enforcement in the nation’s Port, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to stronger inter-agency collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The Council said the collaboration is aimed at enhancing stronger enforcement, compliance and improve operational efficiency across Nigeria’s ports.
Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of  NSC, Dr. Pius Akutah, made this known during a visit to the  Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The visit, which he said, focused on strengthening institutional synergy, comes in the wake of growing responsibilities for the NSC under the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Akutah emphasized the critical role of security agencies in supporting port operations and ensuring regulatory compliance.
He called for the posting of police officers to assist the Council’s monitoring and enforcement teams at key port locations including Lagos, Warri, Onne, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.
“The posting will complement the activities of our revived task teams and enhance our ability to enforce standards across the maritime logistics chain”, he said.
Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Egbetokun, assured the Council of the Force’s readiness to continue supporting the growth of the maritime sector.
The IGP acknowledged that compliance enforcement is essential to the successful implementation of Nigeria’s Blue Economy objectives.
“The NSC and NPF are expected to deepen collaboration in the months ahead, with a shared focus on building a secure, efficient, and competitive port environment”, to the IGP emphasized.
Chinedu Wosu
Continue Reading

Trending