Traders urge KWSG to establish marketing board
By Mike Adeyemi
Kwara Markets Association has charged the Kwara State Government to establish a marketing board so as to create an economic interface between traders and the government.
The Iyaloja of Ilorin East Local Government, Alhaja Omowumi Ahmad stated this while answering questions from our reporter on Thursday.
According to her, “it’s imperative at the moment for government to come up with marketing board in Kwara State.”
“We need marketing board for traders in Kwara State. A lot of progress has eluded the state as a result of the widening gap between the government and traders in Kwara.
“Marketing board comes with many advantages, part of which is that it will foster a robust symbiotic relationship between the government and the traders which in turns means economic growth,” Ahmad said.
She added that the recent dwindling in the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) could be traced to lack of structural system like a marketing board.
“Wherever there is a marketing board, the yearning of traders which constituted the larger chunk of informal sector of the economy would get to appropriate authority.
“Two, areas where government would want the services of traders will be rightly channeled. With this in place, we would be able to advise the government on the best method for payment of taxes by the traders.
“Many states in Nigeria have been operating marketing board for quite a while now. Kano State has its marketing board, Osun State and Lagos equally have their marketing boards.
“We want to urge the Kwara State government to replicate same here too as it will help foster good synergy between traders and the government,” Iyaloja stressed.
Ahmad who is also the market head of Ipata market lamented the recent kidnap of traders by bandits.
She said the traders were released by their abductors after the sum of N8million was paid as ransom.
“Traders at Ipata market now travel for business up north amidst fear.This also has led to incessant hike in the prices of goods at the market.
“Four of our traders who were recently kidnapped in the north have been released after paying N2 million each as ransom. All traders at Ipata market contributed money for them to be released.”
She however said business activities at the market has been affected by the hike as well as the prices of commodities.