Peter Anosike
Coronavirus, which has now been designated as pandemic by the World Health Organization(WHO), having claimed over 4,500 lives and sent global market into tailspin, is also impacting negatively on Alaba International Market, the hub for electronics and electrical products in the country.
Since the outbreak of the respiratory disease in January till now, trailers carrying containers, which used to be a common sight in the market have disappeared completely as importations, most especially from China, have come to a halt.
Sunday Sun investigations revealed that most of the importers made their last importation late last year that most of them now have run out of stock.
Most of the importers who spoke with Sunday Sun lamented their plight as the disease is spreading across the world.
They said that they are in a fix because while they are running out of stock, they cannot re-stock because China has become a no-go country.
According to them, even importing via way bill is not an alternative since one does not know the health condition of the person that one wants to send money to, that is, whether he (the exporter) has also been quarantined or not.
They said that if this situation persists, Alaba International Market may close down because over 90 per cent of the products on sale in the market come from China.
Hon. Edwin Izychukwu, a dealer in generator and water pump equipment, said that they are really in trouble because of the Coronavirus that is hitting China and the other parts of the world.
He said that there is now scarcity of products at Alaba International Market, which has caused a sharp increase in price.
He said that though he has ran out of stock, he cannot take the risk of going to China because it might turn out to be a journey of no return.
According to him, most of the importers have decided to resign to fate.
Izuchukwu said that the outbreak of Coronavirus ought to be a good opportunity for Nigerians to begin to look inwards and start to think of how to be less import dependent.
Also, Sabinus Ugwoh, an importer of salon and barbing equipment, said that the reality was China is under economic lock-down at the moment.
He said that a lot of companies in China have stopped because of the Coronavirus.
He said that under this economic and health crises, it would be foolhardy to send money to any company in China.
He said that this was the real reason Nigerian importers have decided to stop way billing as one has to look very well before leaping.
“The world is in economic crisis because of the Coronavirus. The last time that I went to China was November last year and right now I have almost run out of stock with the goods that I imported then. But the reality is that I cannot go back there until the situation is brought under control. Talking of waybills, a lot of companies in China have shut down because of the outbreak and it is even risky to pay money into somebody`s account the way the disease is spreading like Australian fire, you don’t know who has been quarantined. The only way to restore importers’ confidence is for them to bring the disease under control. My advice to the Nigerian government is to tighten all the national borders and also make sure that all those coming into the country by air are properly screened,” he said.
Also, Comrade Joel Izundu, importer of brand new and fairly used products from China and other countries said that he has for the time being abandoned importation of fairly used products because it requires the importer to be physically present.
According to him, business is gradually closing down in Alaba International, adding that many of the traders no longer come to the market because they have nothing to sell.
Izundu said that if the Coronavirus persists, Alaba International market may close down because most of the products on sale in the market come from China.
His words: “You can see that the market is empty. Containers are no longer coming into the market because we are no longer importing. My last import was October last year and right now I have completely run out of stock. We usually send money for brand new products, but fairly used products require physical presence. Right now, the two have come to an end because I cannot go to China for the fairly used products and I cannot take the risk of sending money to any company with the way the disease is spreading and infecting both the high and the low.”
…Why outbreak`ll hurt Nigeria`s economy –Okeke, president, Mandilas Trade Centre Lagos
Peter Anosike
Hon. Tony Okeke, the president of Mandilas International Trade Centre, Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, Badagry Expressway, Lagos, has said that even if the dreaded Coronavirus that is currently spreading like wildfire did not get to Nigeria, the consequences would certainly hurt the nation`s economy.
According to him, the reason was because over 80 per cent of the things used in Nigeria come from the Asian continent, China in particular.
He said because of that whatever affects the Chinese economy negatively would also have a negative impact on Nigeria`s economy.
He said that Nigeria is lucky because Coronavirus broke when China was on holiday, adding that if not a lot of Nigerian importers would have been caught up there.
His words: “There were not many Nigerian importers in China when the disease broke because it happened in the month of January which is usually holiday period in China. Business is usually down in January because they travel to their villages for festivals. So, we the importers usually wait till March before we start going to China and that is when business begins in earnest there. To be on the safe side, we try to buy and stock goods before the end of the year that we would continue to sell till the month of March.
“That is why the months of October, November and December are always very busy in Nigeria. But a lot of people who don’t know, think that it is just because of the Christmas season, but it is not. We always use the months to prepare for the rainy day, that is, the beginning of the year when Chinese people would go on holiday”.
He said the truth was that the outbreak of Coronavirus was already hurting the national economy, because most of the importers are running out of stock and there is no hope of going to China in the foreseeable future because of the disease.
According to him, even some importers have started skeletal sales or outright hoarding because they don’t know when the disease would be brought under control.
Okeke said that in other climes, the outbreak would have been a blessing in disguise as it would have made them to begin to think inwards to see how they can to some extent become self-sufficient.
He said, for instance, most of the fashion and accessories that they sell in Mandilas International Trade Centre, Lagos International Trade Fair Complex can be sourced and produced locally.
However, he said that Nigeria lacks the infrastructure, as well as the enabling environment for mass production.
He also said that the outbreak of Coronavirus in China, which is the major source of import, would have made the Federal Government to call the stakeholders of Lagos International Trade Fair Complex to a round table to ask them how they can get out of this situation.
He said that this was because whatever product one has imported for upward of 10 years, one must have acquired the requisite knowledge, if not to produce, but at least to assemble the products.
Mile 2 traders lament over demolished market
Peter Anosike
Many days after the demolition of Mile 2 Market by the men of the Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences Unit, many of the traders are still loitering around and lamenting over their losses.
They told Sunday Sun that the reason was their only means of livelihood has been cut off abruptly
Though they admitted that they were given a week notice by the men of the Task Force, there was nothing they could have done within the seven days ultimatum.
They claimed that what Lagos State government is trying to do is to remove the poor from the state.
The traders said that since they were paying their tenement and other dues as at when due, government should have relocated them, instead of chasing them out like bunch of criminals.
Modupe Solaja, one of the women leaders in the market, said that the reason most of the traders still come there every day was because they have no other place to go.
She said that the timing of the demolition by the government was very cruel, since many of the traders have neither finished paying their children`s school fees nor house rents.
She said that before, most of them were trading at Freedom market before it was demolished, which made those who survived the demolition to come to the present Mile 2 Market.
According to her, even after the demolition of the freedom market, the health of most of the traders, herself included, were never the same again.
“The truth is that government does not know the consequences of what they are doing. They are killing petty traders directly and indirectly. After the demolition of Freedom Market, most of the traders began to suffer high blood pressure and other heart related diseases. Many died because they have nowhere to go. Even me that is talking to you now I am very sick, but I don’t want to stay at home”.