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COVID-19: We’re yet to get over effect of lockdown – Kwara traders

By Mike Adeyemi
Traders at the popular Mandate market in Ilorin, Kwara State have said they are yet to get over the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on their businesses.
Speaking on behalf of the traders, Babaloja General of Mandate Market, Yusuf Oganla during a chat with our reporter in his office, yesterday, said most traders are still counting their losses.
According him, ‘The lockdown order by the government as a result of the novel Coronavirus, no doubt crippled economic activities at our market.
“Post lockdown, our market hasn’t been the same. The effect of lockdown is still much with us as economic activities hasn’t gotten back to normal.
“Most businesses went down during the period and traders were hit by hard times, many of whom are yet to pick up again,” he lamented.
He also claimed that factionalism among traders has also crippled economic activities in the market.
“Our problem is that as at today, we have two factions at Mandate market. After the last elections, some people rose up to claim right to the market stool.
“The division among traders has really caused setback for the market in terms of development. Before now, modern facilities like electricity, toilets were made available by the headship of the market, ” he stressed.
The market leader added that traders at the market pay their levies and taxes to the state government promptly ,just as he charged government to ensure development of the market.
“Those of us with warehouse pay as much as N15,000 per annum while traders with shops pay N1,500 to the authority of Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS). And we have over 2,000 traders at mandate market.
“But despite prompt payment of taxes by traders in the market, most of our facilities are obsolete. We have complained several times to the authority to no avail.
“The immediate past government handed the collection of traders’ levies to leaders in each market and this has brought about robust IGR to the coffers of government.

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