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By Brown Chimezie
The President-General Alaba International Market, High Chief Camilus Amajuoyi, has declared that his mission is to transform the market into the most beautifully planned market in Africa.
Alaba International Market which is the biggest electronics and electrical products markets in Africa is made of 16 different sections which include electronics, electrical, fancy and furniture, industrial, among others. Before his election as the President General of Alaba Amalgamated International Council of Sectional heads, Amajuoyi was the president of International Market Association Electronics (IMAE).
Speaking in an interview with Daily Sun on his election, High Chief Amajuoyi said that his vision was to transform Alaba both structurally and visually.
He also said that if Federal Government can give them steady power supply, they would make Alaba International Market, Nigeria’s Silicon Valley. He also spoke on other issues.
Excerpts
What is your vision for Alaba International
I would want to start by thanking God who made it possible for me to attain this exalted position. The victory was an act of God. I also want to appreciate people like Iyke Umeh, the president of United Plaza Association, Alhaji Buba Muhammed, Pastor Patrick Ubaezike, the president of General Electrical Dealers Association(GEDA) Hon.Oyewale Kolapo,Hon. Chukwudi Ogbodo and others who also contributed immensely in making the victory possible. My vision is to make Alaba International market to live up to international standard in everything. I have the intention to remove Alaba from the informal sector and put it in the formal sector of the economy, and we expect that both Federal and Lagos State governments to come in to make it possible.
The revenue that Alaba International market is generating to government is enormous and as such they should come in and assist us in areas of infrastructural development. Everything you see in Alaba is self help. We are operating like a local government because we are providing every amenity, every infrastructure by ourselves. But it is not supposed to be so because government is generating a lot of revenue from Alaba International. And I can tell you that what they are getting from us they are not getting it from most government agencies department or ministry. So, they should reciprocate by attending to a lot of our needs. The road that comes into Alaba from Volkswagen bus stop is in bad shape and needs to be repaired. Government should also look at the issue of tariffs that we are paying because it is affecting both the importers as well as the end users with regard to pricing.
For instance, when you use about N13 million to clear a container from the wharf, the importer would add the money to the price of the good and it would skyrock.
That is one of the reasons why prices of commodities have become unaffordable in the market.”
What do you want to do about the perception of Alaba International market as the haven for fake and substandard products?
What you are talking about is many years ago. Alaba has moved very far away from that .Right now over 70 to 80 per cent of the products being sold at Alaba International market are indigenous brands and as such, there is no more piracy in the market. Since most of the products being sold here are indigenous brands, everybody is making sure that his product is up to standard as that is the only way he can compete. The foreign brands that you hear in Nigeria like Sony,Sanyo, Philips, Samsung,Yamaha and the rest are fading away. Today, what we have is brands like Polyster, Newcastle, Sound prince and the rest. So the competition among the indigenous brands is very high. Nobody has the time to pirate the product of another person. Everyone wants to make sure that his product is the best. We even have long standard relationship with Standards Organizations of Nigeria (SON),that has developed into friendship because they are very happy with our products. Now, let me tell you the truth. The electronics or electrical products that people buy in department stores, super markets in Lekki, Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Asokoro, Maitama and the other highbrow areas all come from here in Alaba. We supply to them and they resale to others. Even our only problem is epileptic power supply. If we can have steady power supply, we can make Alaba International, Nigeria’s own Silicon Valley.
“How prepared are you to do this job?
I want to tell you that I was elected based on my antecedents. I climbed through the ladders to become the president of International Market Association Electronics and when I was campaigning for the Position, my slogan was the “New Face of Alaba electronics and I achieved that within six months of coming into office. Go there today. You will see that everywhere is wearing a new look. I have transformed the place. I sunk boreholes, stopped the floods, provided security. So, what I am going to do is just an extension of what I have already done in IMAE. However, I am once again pleading with the Lagos State government and Ojo Local government to rehabilitate the entry road that leads to the market from Volks. It has become a death trap. Containers have started to fall as a result of the very deep pot holes on the roads. They can even start with filling the pot holes to make the roads motorable. Like I said earlier we are generating a lot of revenue for government, so they should reciprocate by attending to some of our needs.
“What advice do you have for the traders?”
My advice is that everybody in the market must try to be law abiding. Alaba International is an organized environment so law and order must reign. They should stop doing any form of illegal business. Whatever is not lawful is not tolerated in Alaba International. Illegal business is very destructive to one’s business and future. There is a saying that slow and steady wins the race. I am also pleading to them to support my administration because nobody can succeed alone. Every success is as a result of team work. So, I am advising them to be contributing meaningfully in the running of the administration by living up to their responsibilities. For Alaba International market to move forward, all hands must be on deck”
