Governments at all level have been changed to as a matter of boosting the economy, fulfil their promises to women traders.
This charge was given to the governments by Kado Fish Market Woman Leader, Kado, Abuja the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Princess (Mrs) Val Ozigbu – Adefioye at his new year message to the traders and the government recently in her office in the market
Making her points, she accused the government of failing to: fulfill their promises of grants to the traders; intervene in the high rates the commercial banks have been charging them for loans; look into high prices of fish and poultry feeds and; the problems associated with the scarcity of fertilizers.
Speaking further, the woman leader said the government promised them grants to boost their businesses and the economy too, but was quick to inform that all their efforts to get the grant have so far proved abortive, saying that the government officials usually demand collaterals, such as Certificate of Occupancies from them. Stating that by making such demands showed that the government didn’t want to give them the grants, the woman leader therefore added that majority of her members in the market didn’t have lands or houses, not to talk of Certificate of Occupancy as collaterals.
On the issue of interest charged them by the commercial banks for loans, the woman leader said that after paying the money loaned to them, coupled with the high interest rate they charge them, they end up being in debt. She went further to say that they have cried several times to the government to addres the issue of high interest rates banks bave been charging them for loan, but all to no avail. If this is not addressed, she went on, it will affect her members’ businesses and the economy too in no small measure.
On fish and poultry feeds, Mrs Ozigbu – Adefioye said the feeds they have been using in their businesses were foreign ones whose prices were abnormally unaffordable. Stating categorically that the high cost of the feeds had over the time been making them to sell the fishes and chickens at a loss, she however added with dismay that the foreign feeds that were imported into the country, were made from raw materails from Nigeria, exported to other couries, which foreigners in turn used in manufacturing the ones Nigerians impport into Nigeria. This, she said they have been calling on the government to address.
Speaking on the unavailability of fertilizers, the Woman Leader said some of her members were into farming, but regretred that the fertilizers primised them by government had never reached them, just as she accused the staff of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture of hauding the fertilizers for their own uses. This she also said has been affecting the farmers among her members in no small measure, just as she appealed to those in authority to look into the matter with seriousness, saying it has also been affecting the farmers and the economy in no small measures. She however said that assistance and encouragement to the women, especially traders among them is like assitance to the entire nation, adding that the women are not only prudent in management of resources, but also more in the business of buyig and selling than their men counterparts.
In details, she said: “The government is not encouraging women in any way in their businesses. They say they are giving the women money or grant, we haven’t seen any. Even when we go there, we don’t see anything, rather they start to ask you about collaterals and you know that none or majority of my traders do neither have land, house, nor Certificate of Occupancy. So we have never assessed any money from the government, but from family members and friends.
“The problems are numerous. The interest we pay to the commercial banks for loans are very high. Some banks take 5% while some take 4% and we have been drawing the government atrention to thar, but all to no avail.
“My women are into farming, poultry, fishery and trading. The reason why some of my women have begun to shy away from farming is that, after assessing loans from banks and investing them in farming, the herders would use their crops to feed their herds. When they go to harvest the remaining ones, they would be either kidnapped, raped or even killed.
“Those in fishery, when they buy the little ones and buy their feeds which are foreign at an expensive, after training them, the men would come and buy them on credit and refuse to pay. Those in poultry are also experiencing similar problems. When they buy chicken at about N400 to N1000, they usually buy foreign feeds for them at expensive amount, because if they buy local feeds, their eggs would be so small and no one would like to buy them. So they usually resorted into buying foreign ones at expensive price and end up selling at a loss.
“It will surprise you to know that the fish and poultry feeds are made from raw materials sourced from Nigeria and exported to China and other countries where they process and manufacture them and send them back to Nigeria and Nigerians would happily buy them at expensive amount.
“Those in farming, poultry and fishery couldn’t assess fertilizers, fish and poultry feeds government promised to them from those in agric department. So government should ask them why are women not getting all these things they were promised.”
Informing that the women in the market are over 70% against their men counterparts, as well as advising them to keep working hard, she said if encouraged, the women would contribute immensely toward asdressing the economy, even as she warned against neglecting the women in that direction.