MATAN harps on COVID-19 protocol compliance in markets

• Inaugurates Lagos caretaker committee

Resolve to curtail further spread of the deadly virus rocking the world economies, the Market Trader Association of Nigeria (MATAN) has read out riot acts to Nigerian traders to adhere strictly by precautionary guidelines issued by the concerned authorities, to guarantee their safety.

National President of MATAN Hon.Jamilu Abbas who was a three time Federal House Representatives member for Kano federal constituency, who led the body’s national delegation at the inauguration of Lagos state Caretaker committee,gave the charge to members present.

We have drawn the attention of all the state chapters and local governments to organise workshops in order to enlighten and educate our members.

“This enlightenment has become necessary because most of our rural traders are not well-educated, even with the law that was recently signed by the president.

He added that,”Common traders in the rural areas who don’t have a trade, but are farmers producing something, we will try to train them on how to produce and process and sell at the same time .

“MATAN is also sensitizing traders to leverage on existing opportunities for them to have a better deal. Training them to know how to uplift their business from small scale to larger ones.” Said Abbas.

Abbas in company of the MATAN Board of Trustee Chairman, Mohammed Labaran and Mr. Olakunle Moses Johnson MATAN National Secretary, handed the association’s constitution to the newly inaugurated caretaker committee Chairman, Alhaji Awusinu Moshood.

Labaran who gave a brief history of the association cited the great impact and role played by late Iyaloja General, Madam Abibatu Magaji, with whom he noted MATAN idea was conceptualized.

He added that the association, affords traders all over Nigeria the benefits of harnessing the diverse commercial potentials, available in the market chain that will evolve owing to MATAN existence.

He added that the association has plans to address the factors responsible increase of food prices in the country.

Labaran noted that the association, during in its last meeting with BOT members, had come up with plans on how it could assist the masses by ensuring that food items were affordable in market.

“We have realised that one of the major factors responsible for increase in prices of foodstuff is transportation.

“So we are presently having a plan to approach the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the association to produce trucks that members can pay back gradually in a couple of years.

“These trucks will be given to all core traders in the northern and southern parts of the country so that they can transport their goods to their destinations without any hindrance.

Labaran said that the importance of traders’ contributions to the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) could not be undermined, hence the association’s readiness to contribute its quota to the economic development of the country.
He said that government was moving away from a mono- economy to a diversified economy and that all Nigerians were expected to make their own contributions.

According to Labaran MATAN targets registering up to 40million traders across Nigeria soonest.

In his acceptance speech Awusinu, the new MATAN Lagos caretaker committee Chairman, counseled members of his committee and others to abide by the dictates of the constitution,so as not to flout the rules, while he urge members to ensure compliance with health guidelines afforded against spread of COVID-19.

promised to ensure the use of face mask and maintenance of social distancing by traders to reduce COVID-19 transmission in the market.
The newly inaugurated Chairman,MATAN Lagos, Alhaji Awusinu, who is the Olunla of Apa Kingdom in Badagry, said that its committee would ensure total compliance with the presidential directive on COVID-19 guidelines to contain the widespread of the

He is to pilot the affairs of MATAN Lagos for six months.

MATAN members drawn from various parts of Lagos State  were in attendance.