The group under the aegis of the “Traders’ Welfare Union of Nigeria,” on Monday in Benin City, blamed the hike in food prices across markets in Edo State on alleged illegal activities and deprivation they are facing from leaders of market unions in the state.
Members of the Union, who brandished placards with various inscriptions such as “Edo people say no to evil unions in our markets” and “Evil unions in Edo markets are responsible for the hike in food prices,” stated this during their protest to the Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Edo State Council.
Speaking on behalf of the people, Comrade Lucky Orukpe, President of the traders’ union, vowed that his union is ready to expose illegal unions in Edo markets.
He said: “The activities of unions in the markets are causing more harm than good on the following grounds:
“The nefarious acts of compelling traders to join their union with exorbitant rates and items before selling their farm produce and goods.
“For those who bow to their evil union, there are restrictions on the size of produce to sell and days of trading in the market, such as once a week.
“And this clearly results in the artificial scarcity of farm produce, causing inflation and poverty for traders except the executives of the unions who can sell every day.
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“Anyone who refuses to join the union faces conspiracy against them, arrest, and in most cases, their goods are seized by the leaders.
“We practice a free market economy and traders should be free to trade. We know those who are promoting the illegal unions in Edo markets and we are ready to expose them,” he declared.
Meanwhile, members of the Ekiosa Market Traders Association have expressed sadness over what they described as unfulfilled promises by the Chairman of Oredo Local Government Council, Tom Obaseki, to complete the rebuilding of the market.
Recall that the Oredo Council Chairman, Tom Obaseki, had at the beginning of the year assured the people of the early completion of the section of Ekiosa Market that was engulfed in a fire in August 2019.
Obaseki, who gave the assurance when he undertook an assessment tour of the market to evaluate work done so far, said that the recent development is aimed at the government’s efforts to fulfill the plight of traders who lost millions of naira to the fire incident in 2019.
Dr. Obaseki, however, reiterated the desire of the council to build a modern structure for traders who had agreed during a social engagement to relocate to temporary locations to allow for construction.
Reacting to the promises of the Oredo council boss five months after, during a protest to the Edo State House of Assembly Complex on Monday, the affected traders alleged that “There has not been anything going on in the market.
“The displaced traders are over a thousand in number, with their families unable to feed, pay school fees, and take care of their needs in these hard times facing the country.
“We want to express our disappointment with the unfulfilled promise by the Oredo Local Government Council.
“Our second prayer this day is to grant the traders access to the fenced premises. We don’t mind using our umbrellas until the Honourable House of Assembly comes to our aid.”
