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From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The National Union of Market Traders Employers of Nigeria (NUMTEN), has pledged to fight against a non-conducive trading environment, unrealistic business profit, and unstable market prices, as well as incessant loss of properties in the market from fire outbreaks, among others.
The union made the pledge, while receiving its certificate of registration from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Abuja, yesterday.
The NUMTEN President, James Chukwuma said the union would also serve as a platform to protect traders from persistent exploitation and victimisation by unscrupulous elements hiding under the garb of the government.
Chukwuma, who lamented that the nation has lost a greater percentage of its revenue to illegitimate market traders, said the newly registered union was coming with a series of rearrangement and restructuring that would launch the Nigerian market into the global arena.
According to him, “The idea to establish the National Union of Market Traders Employers of Nigeria (NUMTEN) was conceived in my heart as a market trader for over a decade, with the support of other like minds that help to bring this idea into reality, after years of helplessly watching market traders undergo a lot of intimidation and extortion in the hands of illegal market association. This unlawful act perpetrated by these illegal impostors have caused grievous bodily harm to the market traders, with people losing their life on a daily basis on account of the encounters.
He further said: “The idea is to tackle all the identified challenges, vis-a-viz non-conducive trading environment, unrealistic business profit, unstable market prices, incessant loss of property in the market from fire outbreak due to low or bad quality building materials and negligence from the part of market trader and unseen hands.
“In other word, NUMTEN is a symbol of hope that has come to salvage the government’s revenue being siphoned by minority individuals and illegitimate association, who are currently operating in the Nigeria markets. We will get the right revenue into the government purse, and the labour of our members shall not be in vain anymore.”
The union has promised to enter into collaboration with other sister unions in the country, and government agencies. This is to make sure that Nigeria does not remain a consumer, but an industrialised nation, producing fantastic finished goods for consumption by other nations in the world.
