6th July, 2012
Frozen food traders in the Ijora area of Lagos counted their losses on Thursday as their commodities rot away, due to persistent power outages in the area.
Some of the traders, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) lamented that irregular power supply had cost them millions of naira.
Alhaja Afusat Popoola, the Iya-Oloja of the Ijora Frozen Food Market Association, told NAN that irregular power supply had forced many traders out of the market.
She appealed to the PHCN authorities to carry out regular maintenance of the company’s facilities to improve electricity supply.
“We have lost lots of money, due to epileptic power supply. We urge the PHCN to save our business from total collapse,” she said.
Popoola also lamented the offensive odour emanating from cold stores, due to the power outages.
She, however, commended the Eko Zone of PHCN for remarkable power supply improvements noticed in recent days.
This, she said, had encouraged the market management to facilitate prompt payment of bills.
“I have instructed all shops owners to ensure constant payment of the bills, which is the only way to appreciate PHCN,” she said.
Popoola, however, urged management of the company to deploy pre-paid meters to the market to stem incidences of over-billing.
Another official of the market, Mr. Abolarin Taye, who is the General Secretary of the association, also lauded PHCN for improving the power supply.
He said that for some days now, light hardly blinked in the market, adding: “this is the reasons why we encourage the prompt payments of our bills.
“Any of the trader that fail to pay his monthly bill, we will lock up his shop until he pays his bill and shows us the evidence,” he said.