‘Osinbajo’s intervention gives Onitsha traders new lease of life’

The Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbanjo’s approach to socio- political and economic issues has significantly improved and provided new lease of life to businessmen in the country particularly Onitsha, the Anambra state commercial nerve centre.

The chairman of Millennium Importers Market, Tochukwu Appiah, said this has manifested in the less aggressive chase of his members by the men of Nigeria Customs along Lagos- Onitsha Express way.

He said since Vice- President visited Anambra State, where Governor Willie Obiano tabled the complaints of harassment and intimidation of traders on the way by the Customs and his subsequent promise to look into it, things have significantly improved on the Lagos road.

“He has reduced to a certain level, but we are demanding that they should totally leave the road and go to the boarders, seaport and airport. It is unfair to fail to do your job on the borders or for some of us to pay duties on goods imported for clearing for the second time and they will come on the road to compel you to pay another duty,” he said.

Appiah lauded the Federal Government’s effort to beat down dollar, especially bringing it down to about N370 per a dollar but stated that they can do better to bring it down further to N200 to N50 per a dollar.

The chairman said this will, no doubt, have tremendous positive impact on the economy and the living standard of the citizen.

“Things are getting better now. The government can do better, although we can see there is difference now. Before now, naira was N350 but now it is N370 per a dollar. It has helped to reduce the cost of buying and selling goods. Government should do more to bring down the price of dollar,” said the chairman.

He restated the support of the traders to Governor Willie Obiano’s second tenure bid because of his achievements.

“The Governor has been doing a lot to sustain the apparatus of government; paying workers’ salaries as and when due, And you know payment of workers’ salaries has multiplier effect, it creates customers for us , reduces our own expenses as we spend less on our dependents who are workers. Obiano is one of the three Governors who pay salaries in this country,” he said.

Appiah popularly called Tobest said that it amount to stating the obvious if we continue to talk about Obiano’s security measure, saying that the present security lapse was due to the forthcoming election.

He dismissed the critics who accused Obiano of not building roads, insisting that Obiano has been doing roads and will do more when rain subsides .
“If Obiano did not do what he did on security, where would Anambra state be like now, whenever there is an election, people sponsor all sorts of criminals but the Governor, I know is doing a lot to address it but can you imagine in Anambra state no bank robbery, no kidnapping , no shooting for the past three years.

We can’t trade these off for any other thing. I appeal to all to support the governor to finish the projects he has stated. We the importers in the state, we have endorsed him.

The chairman formally sympathized with Governor Obiano on the death of his mother, praying that God would give him the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

Alphonsus Nweze, Onitsha