The President of the International Market Association (Electronics Section), Alaba, Mr. Paulinus Ugochukwu has said that members of the association do genuine business and contribute substantially to the growth of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), against the general belief that the market is known for selling substandard products.
The President who spoke at a one-day sensitisation workshop organised by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) recently in Lagos with the theme: “Promoting Self- Regulation to Eliminate Fake and Substandard Products from Nigerian Markets”, noted that the Alaba International Market remains the biggest single electronics market in Africa and therefore contributes substantially to the growth of the country’s GDP.
He said members of the association are genuine electronic product dealers while many have developed indigenous standards that compete with the foreign ones.
He stated that the association understands the benefits of the efforts being made by SON to rid the Nigerian markets of fake and substandard goods and has therefore collaborated with it in the past and will continue to continue to do more in the future.
According to him, “Alaba Electronics Market is known to be the biggest electronics market in Africa and going by this, it is not far-fetched to say that our contribution to Nigeria’s GDP is substantial and thus helping to build and grow the economy. This includes but not limited to the taxes we pay to the Federal, State and Local Governments, infrastructural development and creation of jobs within and outside our business community.
“I must however applaud the role and efforts of SON in sanitising and ridding this market of fake and substandard goods. As an association which understands and appreciates the benefits of the efforts of SON in ridding our country of fake and substandard goods and having collaborated with them in the past, we will still continue to collaborate with them. To this effect, we have instituted a committee, which duty is to ensure the prohibition of fake and substandard goods in this market.
He urged the Federal Government to revisit the issue of the border closure, which he said has prevented genuine electronic products from reaching their customers in other African countries. He also made a strong case for improved electricity supply as well as improved road network to the market.
The Director, Ports and Borders of SON, Engr. Yahaya Bukar, who also spoke at the event, announced the setting up of a taskforce as earlier proposed by the association was part of efforts to rid the market of fake and substandard goods.
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