The National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS) has warned members nationwide to refrain from unnecessary price increase in commodities over the new minimum wage regime increase, saying it is unnecessary, immoral and unjustifiable.
President of the NANTS, Mr. Ken Ukaoha, gave the warning on Monday in Abuja at the ‘The Training Workshop for NANTS Leadership on Tracking the Commitments of Political Actors to the Farmers Manifesto and Traders Charter of Demands”.
The Federal Government recently approved N30, 000 minimum wages for all cadres of workers across the country.
Ukaoha however said that every trader must avoid the temptation of being lured into such selfish act as a means of enrichment and must realize that hiking prices on one commodity automatically rises of others.
“And no trader deals on all items of need. Therefore, once a trader raises the price of his or her commodity, the seller of the commodity she or he needs will also jack up in the same manner and this negative circle will only be multiplying poverty to everyone and dealing a dirty blow on the overall economy which has further implications on everyone,” he said.
The NANTS boss also urged the Government to urgently find solution to the worsening insecurity situation in the country as traders currently are refraining from traveling to most parts of the North for fear of being kidnap or killed.
He said, “Life is speedily becoming worthless. The economy, especially of the North is speedily losing grip; farmers are dislodged from their farms courtesy of insurgency and crises with herders, and productivity is grossly reducing. Traders on their part are getting scared of moving the few goods available towards the required market destinations.”
On the training, Ukaoha said that before the last General Elections, the NANTS systematically developed two demand documents, the ‘Farmers Manifesto’ and the ‘Traders Charter of Demands’ which articulated their challenges, concerns, interests and priorities as a bargaining document with which they negotiated with political actors.
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