The National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS) noted the outstanding performance of the Rescue Mission in less than four years of its tenure pledging the association’s unalloyed support and loyalty as it had on an emergency meeting held recently with the Executive of the NANTS Imo State Chapter, the umbrella body for all traders, trade unions and markets in Imo State deliberated extensively on the reported plan by the state government to shut down markets for seven days on a scheduled carnival slated to hold next month as they appealed to the listening governor, his Excellency Owelle Rochas Okorocha to intervene in the matter as it will greatly affect the economy of the state and livelihood of traders.
Speaking through a communiqué NANTS Imo State chapter had however, resolved to bring to the notice of the organizers of the said event that owning to its complex structure of multiple institutions coupled with heavy financial commitment, market and trade unions do not get direct involvement in carnivals of this nature as they said members are always planning and working hard to meet their daily financial obligation while at the same time, uplifting the economy of the state.
NANTS strongly advise the organizers of the said carnival against using any form of coercion to shut down the markets because the ripple effect of such action will be too severe on the economy and people of the state, they further advice that for the interest of peace, the carnival organizers should leave all the markets open and carnival participation should be a matter of free will and not compulsion as market closure for the sake of carnival is against the tenets of equity, justice and fairness which interestingly the present administration of Owelle Rochas Okorocha preaches and strives to achieve as “NANTS is definitely not against carnival but closure of market for the carnival, So let the carnival hold and let the markets remain open” the communiqué stated.
NANTS says its position is borne out of the association’s objective to assist the government in revitalizing the ailing economy for the benefit of all and sundry in the society. Closing the market for 7 days will certainly lead to the doldrums of economic stagnation and thereby worsen the plight of the people pointing out that only the affluence class can cope with the challenges of the seven days closure while the poor masses who constitute majority of the stake holders in the Imo project and who depend on paltry income from daily market transactions will be suffocated.
Meanwhile, in a letter signed by NANTS president to all market trade union executive in Imo state pointed that NANTS) Imo State Chapter was never consulted or invited for a meeting before the reported decision to close the markets for seven days, it was taken by the organizers of the said Imo carnival.
As a result of the absence of due process as witnessed, we hereby urge all market and trade union executives under the umbrella of NANTS not to subject the people to unnecessary hardship by surrendering to the purported plan to close Imo markets for the sake of stated carnival.
if the organizers view it necessary for seven days market shut down, then the entire state should be shut down both the public and private sectors inclusive as a real sign of equity, justice and fairness. That is to say, government offices, political party offices, financial institutions, schools and even churches etc. should be shut down. The market is not specimen for laboratory experiment.
