The executives of the Alaba international market, headed by Chief Camilus Amajuoyi, have distanced themselves from the proposed nationwide strike billed for August 1 till 10.

In a statement, the president-general of the market urged security agencies to help ensure the market is protected from criminal elements.

He said, “We, the executives of Alaba, Int’l Market, Ojo Lagos, headed by our President General Chief Camilus Amajuoyi, wish to formally state that members of Alaba, Int’l Market, Ojo, Lagos are not part of the planned nation wide protest in Nigeria.

“This is not because we are immune to the harsh economic situation in Nigeria presently, but rather we are of the view that mass protest may not be the needed solution at this time. And a large percentage of us depend on our daily income and would not like to add to our already heavy burden.

“We in the informal sector are the worst hit, as the cost of doing business has tripled. And the government at all levels has not deemed it fit for once to provide us with any form of palliative, incentives, interest free loans, etc that could help cushion the effects of the economic challenges.

“The cost of doing business has been rising so high, as the exchange rate kept fluctuating, making it very difficult for any businessperson to plan. The cost of duty payable at all nations ports, the cost of transporting our goods from point A to point B, etc have all increased astronomically, which has resulted in the sharp increase of most goods and services today.

“These are realities staring Nigerians in the face both in the north, east, west, and south of the nation.

“But even at that, we unequivocally state that we are not going to partake in any planned protest in Nigeria; we are not closing our market in solidarity with any group or persons with regard to any protest.

“We believe that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will definitely find a lasting solution to the numerous challenges facing Nigerians now, ranging from insecurity, high cost of food, drugs, transportation, bad roads, and corruption, among other things.

“For example, the only access road leading to Alaba International Market is in a very terrible and dangerous shape, and it poses a great threat to the lives of citizens plying that route as heavy duty trucks have fallen on that road several times, causing great damages both to the owner of the goods and other road users. We have been crying to the Lagos State government regarding this particular road for years and have received no response yet. These and other people oriented projects are what both local, state, and federal governments should focus on more now, which will help to ameliorate the sufferings of the masses.

“And I wish to warn every protester who wishes to protest to stay away from Alaba International Market, as we are not going to fold our hands and allow miscreants to loot our goods in the name of protest.

“We call on the Lagos State government, Nigerian police, the military, DSS, and other security agencies to ensure that all the market places are highly protected from looters and other criminal elements,” he added. (Vanguard)

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