…As Traders Demand Speedy Resolution

Traders in Owerri, the Imo capital, have called on the Federal Government and the organised labour to resolve the crisis of petrol subsidy quickly.

The traders, who spoke under the aegis of Owerri Market Amalgamated Traders Association (OMATA), said that the immediate resolution of the crisis was necessary because the strike had brought untold hardship to the poor.

The OMATA Chairman, Mr Ethelbeth Nwosu, told newsmen in Owerri that the two parties should dialogue as they both meant well for Nigerians.

“The President meant well for the people, but the problem is the timing. Labour, through the strike, is trying to help the masses.

“Labour and the Federal Government should engage in a round table discussion to solve the problem because when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers,” he said.

Normal trading activities have continued in the major markets in Owerri in spite of directives from the NLC and the TUC that the markets be shut.

Nwosu told our correspondent  at the Ekeonunwa Market that although the traders were in support of the strike, they needed to have money to stay alive.

“People have spent all they had during the Christmas and New Year celebrations and so must recoup to stay alive.

“The workers are better off because they will be paid at the end of the day, but this is not the case with the traders who must sell to make money,” he said.

Mr Okechukwu Ukaga, a businessman in the market, said the strike had paralysed his business and called on the government and labour to settle the issue amicably.

“Whatever labour can do to make things better, let them do it. Government on it part, should look into the plight of the masses and resolve the issue,” he said.

Mr Ifeanyi Eze, another businessman, said he was more concerned about government’s handling of the issue of the Boko Haram sect than removing the subsidy on petrol.

He said Nigerian youths might be forced to go to the streets if Boko Haram issue was not properly handled.