The honourable commissioner in the Edo State Ministry of Business, Trade and Cooperatives, Hon. Patrick Iria Uanseru has called on all supermarket owners in Benin City to patronize Edo made products in order to grow the economy of the state.
Hon. Uanseru stated this during a meeting with supermarket/departmental stores’ owners in Benin City. The meeting, which was at the instance of the commissioner, was to brainstorm with the supermarket owners on the best ways Edo products could get better patronage and to also identify the challenges they are facing.
The commissioner, while bemoaning the low patronage suffered by Edo products, said, “One thing I observed and with my meetings with the Micro, Small, and Medium and Enterprises (MSMEs) and it is a major challenge too; when I visit most of the supermarkets in Benin, I found out that, it’s only products like amala, gari, fufu,, beans flour, in fact, food items from neighboring states that are on their shelves”.
Continuing, the honourable commissioner said, “The only way to grow Edo is to encourage and patronize Edo products.”
He added: “I have been in Lagos almost all my life, and you see, Lagos State monthly IGR is more than their monthly federal allocation; that’s why you see accelerated developmental strides in Lagos State.
“Let me shock you. The highest taxpayers in Edo State are the government workers. (Federal and State governments’ workers). That is to say that, “the government brings out money every month, pays salaries, and then collects money from it as tax. ”
According to Uanseru, the highest contributor of tax in any state is the informal sector. He, however, said that the case in Edo State was worrisome only, as 26,000 (Twenty-six Thousand) entities in the informal sector pay tax.
“You hear people complain about infrastructure. If the government channels all resources to infrastructure, how does it pay salaries? Uanseru quipped.
“You are hearing now that a state in the east has not paid workers for 10 months, and that is the worst thing that can happen in a very densely populated civil service state!
“Like I told you. It is the same people (tax payers: workers) that are bringing money for development. So, if we encourage Micro Small Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) in food production by patronizing them, they will have money to contribute as tax, and you will also be helping people remain in business.
“Edo State is so blessed that we almost have need for nothing, and His Excellency the Executive Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki is working so hard to see that all our natural resources are harnessed for the overall benefit of all.”
On his part, Pharm. Fred Iboi, MD/CEO, Flowell Pharmacy/Supermarket, identified the security situation in the Edo State as a major challenge, which he said, has led many farmers who are alive to desert their farms and left their investments in ruins because of fear of either being kidnapped or killed.
“There are some of my friends who are into agribusiness. Before they go to their farms, they go to Force Bridge to get soldiers with Hilux as escorts so that they can work and all these will be included in the cost of production which will automatically translate into increase in the final costs of commodities whilst salaries remain stable.
He recalled how a very big palm oil producer was kidnapped and never released after his abductors collected over N25 million as ransom.
Pharm Iboi, who was in the company of his wife, Pharm. (Dr). Linda Iboi, said, the current palm oil price at the international market which he said was more than the price of crude oil, Edo State lost millions of dollars with the disappearance of the palm oil magnate.
“Edo workers are fortunate because they have a governor who is intelligent and not wasteful. Hence, he’s able to pay salaries as of when due,” he said.
Pharm. Iboi while reeling out the plethora of issues bedeviling the informal sector in Edo, told the commissioner “All the farmers have left the bush because a lot of them have been kidnapped and some even killed after payment of ransom running into several millions of naira.
Pharm Iboi,who is the immediate past president of the Benin Club ,opined that another reason why the tax from the informal sector is low is due to low purchasing power.
According to the ROCHE International retiree, “We deal mainly on pharmaceuticals. Our products, just like human beings, have a life span, 90 % of people can’t buy drugs on a regular basis, and we throw cartons of expired drugs away. The drugs, even though useful, are always not purchased because people can’t afford them. So, when they expire, we have no option other than to throw them away.
“The downturn in the economy has affected everyone. In fact, people can’t even afford the right drugs for their illnesses because the money is more there! Until manufacturing is encouraged, we can’t make any headway!
“Our Governor has become a prophet of some sort. Being a sharp and intelligent man who knows his onions in economic matters, knew that the country was heading the wrong way, he just knew what was going to be the end result.”
“Our people also need reorientation. They must know that imported things are never the best. You must be able to wear our locally made fabrics and be proud of them, our local foods are very healthy,” Iboi said.
