By Godwin Tyonongu
Timber dealers, under the auspices of Mararaba Timber Dealers Association (MTDA), have appealed to the local government authorities to provide a free trade zone (FTZ) for them to stay and transact their businesses without molestation.
Chairman of the association, Prince Eze I. K. Joseph, while speaking to Blueprint on the benefits accruable from their proximity to the Karu International Market, demanded that instead of their continuous stay at their present location, which is a rented premise, government should have earmarked a section in the international market for the timber traders.
According to him, this is the case at the Dei Dei International Market under the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).
Joseph disclosed that they had written several times to the local government council through the Karu Traders and Marketers Association in the hope that they would be given considered, “but our hopes were dashed.”
He said: “We are threatened by our stay here because it’s a rented place; there’s the tendency that the owner can eject us any day; look at a place called Jikwoyi, AMAc gave them a place at Gidan Mangoro, at Kugbo, they gave them a land that they are developing comfortably and it’s the same thing at DeiDei.
“But the story is different here; if government can give us a common place to stay, we will be comfortable and government too; the Nasarawa government do not want to consider the interest of timber dealers and we have up to 2000 workers in different categories in this little piece of land; assuming they bring all of us together and give us a place to stay, it will help even to boost the market and revenue generation.”
On his part, the chairman of the Board of Trustees, Chief John Ekwem, expressed dismay that apart from the International market, the state government had not created any enabling environment for traders.
He alleged that a place once given to the mechanic as a site at Kuroduma at the sum of N11 million was eventually taken away from them.
According to him, they were later relocated at a location on Luvu Road, Area 1, Masaka, with another sum of N25 million from timber dealers and other traders, only for the indigenes to institute a court case and collect the place from government without any compensation from KAPDA, the agency that was responsible for the transaction.
“Government did not hear from us because we are peaceful people, if not we have documented evidence,” he said.
