By Joan Nwagwu
The National Union of Market Traders Employers of Nigeria (NUMTEN) has pledged to end illegal price fixing and exploitation in Nigerian markets
Mr James Chukwuma, NUMTEN President made the pledge while receiving the union’s Certificate of Registration from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Wednesday in Abuja.
The NUMTEN is the newest affiliate of the NLC.
Chukwuma said that the unstable market prices was worrisome to Nigerians and one of the objectives of the union is to ensure market reform.
“We are going to work with the market traders, distributors, manufacturers and even government to ensure that prices are regulated,” he said
He added that the union would protect traders from persistent exploitation and victimisation by unscrupulous elements hiding under the garb of the government.
According to Chukwuma, NUMTEN was registered to liberate helpless market traders from persistent intimidation and extortion in the hands of illegal market associations.
“This unlawful act perpetrated by these illegal impostors have caused grievous bodily harm to the market traders, with people losing their life on a daily basis on the account of the encounters
“The idea is to tackle all the identified challenges, including, non-conducive trading environment, unrealistic business profit, unstable market prices, incessant lost of properties in the market from fire outbreak,” he said.
Chukwuma said that NUMTEN is a symbol of hope to salvage government revenue being siphoned by minority individual and illegitimate association.
He said the union would ensure that the right revenue goes into the government purse, and the labour of its members would not be in vain any longer.
NUMTEN president also promised to enter into collaboration with other sister unions and government agencies, to ensure Nigeria becomes a productive and not consuming nation.
“We will ensure that Nigeria becomes an industrialised nation producing finished goods for consumption by other nations in the world,” he said.
Mr Benson Upah, NLC Head of Information, urged the union to be up and doing and priotise workers’ welfare.