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Tag: Food

  • Market union to address high cost of commodities

     

    Market union to address high cost of commodities

     

    Cost

     

    By Olatunde Ajayi

     

    Ibadan, June 19, 2024 (NAN) The National Union of Market Traders Employers of Nigeria (NUMTEN) says it will collaborate with other market stakeholders to address high cost of food and other commodities in Nigeria.

    NUMTEN’s National President, James Ogu, said this on Wednesday, when the union paid a courtesy visit to the Oyo State Commissioner for Trade, Industry, Investment and Cooperatives in Ibadan.

    According to Ogu, many traders now hide under increase in the pump price of petroleum, high dollar to naira exchange rate, tax and dues to arbitrarily increase prices of food and other essential commodities in the market.

    Also speaking, NUMTEN’s Chairman in Oyo State, Ola Makinde, said that the union would collaborate with relevant government agencies, departments and other critical market stakeholders to establish a centre in each zone, where issues could be reported and properly addressed.

     

    According to him, part of the aims and objectives of the NUMTEN is to defend integrity and independence of the market traders in Nigeria, by putting an end to activities of unregistered associations or groups exploiting traders in Nigeria.

     

    “We are working to ensure cooperation between the union and other market bodies, to maintain highest standard, etiquettes and discipline among market traders,” he said.

     

    On his part, the Oyo State Secretary of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Adebayo Aribatise, said that NLC, as mother of all unions in Nigeria, recognised NUMTEN and was in solidarity with its activities across markets in Nigeria.

    Aribatise said that NLC in the state had the mandate of ensuring that all unions that want to operate in the state complied with the rules and regulations laid down by the state government to achieve its goals.

    In his response, the Commissioner for Trade Industry Investment and Cooperatives, Demola Ojo, said that the current administration would continue to work with relevant stakeholders to improve ease of doing business in the state.

    Ojo, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Bunmi Babalola, said that Gov. Seyi Makinde’s led administration had addressed issue of tax multiplicity on food commodities and improved access to cheaper food, through various initiatives.

    He said that the government had identified and was working with 12 market clusters that housed different traders associations in the state, to achieve harmony among traders.

    The commissioner, while charging NUMTEN to carry out membership drive through provision of adequate welfare initiatives, said that the government would not impose one association or union on another.

    He said that the government was ready  to partner NUMTEN and other market bodies, to address high cost of food commodities and to improve ease of doing business in the state. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

    TUN/FON/VIV

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    Edited by Florence Onuegbu/Vivian Ihechu

  • Flood situation in southern Germany remains tense

    Flood situation in southern Germany remains tense

    Food

    Nuremberg, June 5, 2024 (dpa/NAN) The flood situation in the southern German state of Bavaria remains tense.

    Even though the situation seems to be slowly easing in many places, there are fears that there could be more deaths due to several missing persons in addition to the five confirmed flood victims.

    The search for a missing fire-fighter in western Bavaria continues on Wednesday, the police said.

    The 22-year-old has not yet been found, said a police spokesman in Kempten.

    Police were to search for the missing man on land and with drones.

    The young man’s rescue boat had capsised in a water in Offingen on Saturday night.

    The police also said other four rescued workers on board were able to save themselves and remained unharmed.

    The the police spokesman said there was still hope that he would be found alive.

    “But the chances are getting a little slimmer by the day,” he said.

    Elsewhere in Bavaria, the water level is falling very slowly at a high level, a spokeswoman for the city of Regensburg said on Wednesday morning.

    The Flood Information Service (HND) said the level of the River Danube in the area was still over 6 metres, normally it is around 3 metres.

    On Tuesday evening, the emergency services evacuated around 30 houses along a road by the river because the subsoil was continuing to soften due to the high groundwater level.

    “The stabilisation of the protective walls would continue to be the focus of disaster control on Wednesday. That is our weak point,” the spokeswoman said.

    In Passau near the border with Austria and the Czech Republic, the water levels on the Danube and the River Inn slowly fell on Wednesday. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    COO/SA

    Edited by Cecilia Odey/Salif Atojoko

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