The Association of Progressive Traders (APT) of Nigeria, has called on the federal government to urgently intervene on the state of the road infrastructure around the trade fair complex and gridlock caused by trucks and articulated vehicles parked along Badagry expressway.
This, according to them, is causing them low business turnover, high demurrage of goods and imminent business collapse occasioned by the traffic gridlock between Alakija and Barracks bus stops thereby hindering free movement of goods in a timely manner.
They equally lamented as this has caused them daily pain, anguish, frustration as they spend six hours on a five minutes journey on moving out of the complex.
Speaking at a press conference held in Lagos, the Chairman, Trade Fair Stakeholders Forum and the President, APT, Eric Ilechukwu, said they remain a viable partner to the federal government in the fight to curb employment.
He said we want the federal government and relevant stakeholders to save our business from immediate collapse.
He urged the government to address the issues of traffic gridlock along Badagry expressway especially between Alakija and Barracks bus stops and also the opening of alternative routes in and out of the Trade Fair complex.
According to him, “The minister of Trade and Commerce was here some time ago and he promised that the federal government would look into our complaints but we are yet to witness any concrete steps towards addressing the traffic challenges here.”
For the Assistant Public Relation Officer of the association, Mr. Chidum Great-Stanley, their markets is peculiar because most of them have gone through apprenticeship and were able to build on little money given to them after serving their masters.
“We are an informal sector that does not have formal education on how to grow business. But the majority of us here are now employers of labour.”
Commenting, the Assistant Secretary, APT, Mr. Oraeki Chidozie, who said they are law abiding citizens that follow all the necessary laws that control their business, added that a lot of extortions from outside the port to the gate of the complex are scaring a lot of them out of business.
According to him, “It baffles us that at Mile 2 to Alakija to the extent that Customs still chases container trailers to the points of coming to shops and this is affecting the economy of the markets and the country at large. This situation scares most of the importers and all these costs we incur are factored into the amount customers buy goods.