Kudos, knocks greet Lagos Govt decision to close markets for PVC collection

The traders expressed their divergent views during different interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday during a visit to some of the major markets in the state to find the level of compliance to the government’s directive.

The visit showed that there were skeletal activities at some of the major markets, following traders’ compliance with the state government’s directive that traders should obtain their PVCs.

The market visited were Balogun, Idumota, Ajah, Iyana Ipaja, Alaguntan, Ipaja, Command and Ayobo.

Some traders at these markets, however, decried the development and claimed that billions of naira were being lost due to the directive that markets should not open.

Iyaloja Irewolede Modern Market in Idumota, Alhaja Kudirat Owowale, said that all the stores along that axis complied to the directives.

According to her, the directive will enable traders make up a large number of voters at the 2023 elections

Owowale, however, said that the directives to lock up shops greatly affected sales output, adding that they had no choice but to comply as it was a government order.

She said government should have consulted with market leaders before such a directive was given.

She urged traders to go out en-masse to collect their PVC for adequate representation at the polls in 2023.

“Truly, this directive has affected us; there’s nothing we can do about it. We have complied and the markets are empty.

“This kind of thing, going forward, we should be consulted so that we can advise on how it should be done. It can be a partial closure or section by section closure, so that activities in the market is not totally at zero such as this that we have.

“We look forward to resuming trading because we cannot quantify how much has been loss already,” she said.

A fabric trader at Lagos Island, Mr Lateef Babamole, said the development was not very beneficial to the traders because those that collect PVCs at the markets may be unbale to vote at a different location.

“Traders may just collect for collecting sake as many of them do not live near the market areas at all and some even live in Ogun State.

“Because of this, they may not be able to vote at the end of the day. Although, it is good to have the card but the losses the market would record from having the card is not worth it,” he said.

Activities at Aleshinloye Market in Ajah Area, was also at a low ebb partly as a result of the loss of a community leader and in adherence to market leadership directives.

Mrs Alice Barnabas, a trader, hanging around the market, said that the directive afforded many of the traders the opportunity to get their PVC which they had earlier not created time to collect.

Also, traders at the Alimosho Local Government Area adhered to the directive of market leadership by locking up their shops.

A shop owner at Iyana- Ipaja Market, Mr God-Power Chinedu, told NAN that it was not easy for them to lock up their shops since Wednesday as business owners, but it was a sacrifice for a national obligation.

Chinedu said that many of the traders were not able to register for the PVC since it started, due to the crowd at the various registration centres.