… As National President Unveils State Secretariat, Signpost
By Mmaduabuchi Onwumelu
The National President of the National Union of Market Traders Employers of Nigeria (NUMTEN), Comrade James Chukwuma Ogu, on Friday, 25th October, inaugurated the Anambra State Council and 21 Local Government Area Executives of the body in Awka, with a call on them to be good ambassadors of what he described as the most sought after Union in Nigeria today.
Speaking while inaugurating the Excos, the President assured all the stakeholders in Anambra State that NUMTEN had come to complement their efforts at making the market arena more conducive for trading in the state.
The President said the Union was a newly approved and certified trade union by the Federal Government of Nigeria, under the Trade Union Act, CAP (T14) 2004 as amended and was affiliated to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
He added that NUMTEN’s registration was borne out of passion for restructuring the larger sector of the Nigerian economy and for alleviating and eradicating the suffering of Nigerian market traders.
He called for collective efforts of all the existing stakeholders in the market to come under one umbrella of the union, adding that NUMTEN, under the law, had been empowered to bring to an end all illegal activities perpetrated by unscrupulous elements in the markets, such as multiple levies, security threats, dehumanization, and oppression and assured market stakeholders in Anambra State that it would make the arena conducive.
He said the era of retiring from trading hopelessly was past, adding the union would partner the National Pension Commission to ensure members’ enjoyed healthy retirement benefits.
Chukwuma said: ‘I seek your support to ensure the objectives of establishing NUMTEN by the federal administration will be achieved.
‘The issue of retiring from active trading hopelessly will be in the past. We’ll ensure social protection by partnering PENCOM to ensure members enjoy healthy retirement benefits.
‘Similarly, we will partner the Health Maintenance Organisation for affordable Medical Health Insurance Scheme for members and families.
‘We’ll explore the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria’s loan products, such as Home Revolution Loans, Rent-to-Own and Home Ownership Loans.’
Speaking, the Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Anambra State, Comrade (Sir) Humphrey Nwafor, said NUMTEN was affiliated to NLC and a child of the union and encouraged the members to give the chairman maximum support for the progress of the union.
In his speech, the Chairman of NUMTEN, Anambra State, Prince Comrade Nnamso Nwafor-Orizu, said the union was the first of its kind in Nigeria and that the main objective was to protect the interest of the marketers and their welfare, as well as advocate for their rights.
Admonishing the newly Inaugurated excos, the National Public Relations Officer of NUMTEN, Comrade Abiodu Olamide, emphasized that the idea of the union was for the betterment of Nigerian traders, alleviating their sufferings, fighting for their rights, tackling multiple levies, restructuring Nigerian markets for better performance.
He implored all the traders in the state to register with the union, noting that NUMTEN had come to maintain peace and stability.
Also speaking, the Comptroller of Labour and Employment, Anambra State, Bernadine Oji-Ogbuehi, advised the leadership of the union to always use dialogue, negotiation and collective bargaining as an instrument in achieving their set goals and objectives.
Contributing, the Assistant Director and State Coordinator of Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), Anambra State, Engr. Hussan Emmanuel, added that SON and NUMTEN had a cordial relationship because a lot of marketers dealt with goods and services, noting that SON dealt with standard goods and services for safe economy, life, reducing the negative impact the sub-standard products could have on the environment.
Hussan, who was represented by Director General, lfeanyichukwu Nonso Okeke, said the organisation had three departments in Anambra State, comprising Anambra Region, State Office and Enforcement, and that each of them had their defined roles and responsibilities geared towards attaining the objectives, standardizing products and eradicating substandard products in society.
He added that the Director General had assumed office years ago and had done a lot in eradicating substandard products in Nigeria and Anambra State in particular.
Okeke said that for the first time in Anambra, there was a department that was domiciled – the Enforcement Department – that moved around the state to ensure that products being sold in the market were standard.
For his part, the Deputy State Director, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Anambra Command, Nwannennaya Chukwunyere, said the mandate of NDLEA was to ensure that society was free from drug substance abuse, which, he said, was taking habitation in society, such as cocaine, heroine, cannabis, among others, much available in the markets.
He added that the concern of NDLEA was that the markets should arrest, prosecute and investigate all related cases in the state, like Main Market and Ogbo Ogwu, to make sure that markets were free from substance abuse.
He related killings, attacks, especially that of few days ago, as something that could never be done without something that had to do with drug abuse, saying NDLEA was in collaboration with NUMTEN.
The State Commandant of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Daniel Onyeishi, said the agency would partner them to ensure drug abuse free-markets.
He urged the traders to give information that could assist the agency in carrying out its mandate, promising to treat them with utmost confidentiality.
The State Coordinator of Standard Organisation of Nigeria in Anambra State Office 1, Hussani Emmanuel, who represented the Director General, Dr. Ifeanyi Okeke, noted that the organisation would eradicate substandard products in the state.
Earlier in his speech, the Chief Executive Officer, Mic-Merah International Agency LTD, the chairman of the occasion, thanked everybody that graced the occasion, assuring that NUMTEN, Anambra State, would be the best in Nigeria.
