By Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti

The Federal Government has pledged to enhance social security benefits for traders across the country through the trade union overseeing them.

The Minister of State for Labour, Employment and Productivity, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, made this known on Saturday in Ado-Ekiti while speaking at the formal inauguration of the State and Local Government chapter executives of the National Union of Market Traders Employers of Nigeria (NUMTEN) in Ekiti.

She said the government recognises the challenges faced by the informal sector, especially market traders, and will therefore create more policies to improve the ease of doing business for them.

The minister, represented on the occasion by the State Controller of Labour, Mrs Grace Adeyeye, explained that the government also intends to enhance their working conditions.

According to her, the ministry will collaborate with NUMTEN to ensure that its members receive the necessary support, skills development, and financial empowerment to contribute more significantly to the nation’s economy.

She stated that in this era of economic transformation, where innovation and technology are shaping new ways of doing business, traders are encouraged to embrace these changes.

The minister advised that marketplaces should not only be spaces for traditional commerce but also hubs of innovation where traders can leverage technology to grow their businesses.

While promising the Federal Government’s support for the union’s activities, the minister charged NUMTEN to always follow the laid-down grievance procedures in resolving disputes to ensure peace and harmony in all matters.

She also urged the union leaders to lead with transparency, inclusivity, and commitment to improving the livelihoods of market traders.

Speaking at the event, the National President of NUMTEN, Ogu James Chukwuma, expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for approving the establishment of NUMTEN and its subsequent certification as a trade union. He said the aim of forming the union was to alleviate, if not completely eradicate, the suffering of Nigerian traders and employers.

He promised that the union would abide by the rules of its engagement and assist the government in reducing the high cost of goods in the nation’s markets.

Earlier, in his inaugural address, the pioneer Chairman of NUMTEN in Ekiti, Morakinyo Akintayo, who led other members of the executive at the inauguration, said the union’s activities had commenced in earnest, with the completion of comprehensive data on all markets in the state.

He said that, very soon, through the union, loans and grant schemes would be made available to all traders across the state’s markets.

Dignitaries at the occasion included the Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Emmanuel Ogunche, the Special Adviser to the President on Logistics, Sunny Nwanegbo, as well as virtually all the national officers of the union, including some state chairmen.