At the early days of the Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration, the Commissioner for Commerce, Anambra State, Dr Obinna Ngonadi, who had the trade portfolio under his ministry at the time, embarked on a tour of major markets in the state. The tour was, to first, identify the challenges facing the markets so as to address them, and to ultimately get stakeholders to buy-in into the vision of the new administration for markets in the state. When he arrived Building Materials International Market, Ogidi, he was met with a pleasant shock. He saw a market that was well ahead of its contemporaries and that was already implementing the futuristic vision of 21st century markets. A market that was on a journey to sustainable development.
Pleased, Dr Ngonadi minced no words on the spot to praise the leaders of the market especially the visionary leadership of the President General, Chief Jude Nwankwo. Dr Ngonadi immediately recommended the market to other market leaders and asked them to replicate the model of the development initiatives as they were in tandem with the Soludo administration’s vision for Anambra markets.
Since the emergence of Chief Nwankwo as the President General of Building Materials International Market, Ogidi, the market has been on a continued trajectory of high performance and development. Chief Nwankwo due to his popular progressive policies has since been nicknamed, “Ezeudo Building Materials”. He has continued to raise the bar of excellence in transforming the market from a mere location for buyers and sellers of products in the building value chain to a modern, forward-looking destination for international best practices and borderless transaction of goods and services. He, with his executive, has so far been implementing policies and programmes that will properly situate the market as a future destination for foreign investors.
In line with its determination to ensure that the market is not just an international market by name, it has ensured that new structures that come up in the market stick to the market master plan originally designed to cater for proper ventilation and easy navigation in the market. In keeping to these rules, there are no compromise. They have ensured that there are no street trading and that stalls coming up in the market or its extension keep to standards.
This policy to stay true to standard has also made the installation of Closed Circuit Television, CCTV, cameras very possible and easy. Today, there is little or no existence of theft, robbery, or fraud in the market. Insecurity in the market is at the zero sum. As the CCTV camera provides technical evidence, a robust internal man-hunt structure is on ground through the market security to ensure no thief, armed robber or fraudster go scot-free. In a case where the suspect or his accomplice is an apprentice or a trader in the market, such a person loses automatic membership of the market. Also the market leadership is in possession of every transaction conducted online in the market to reduce the incidence where a customer claims to have been fleeced or products of lower qualities delivered. This helps to increase trust and standardization in buying and selling.
A two-four-seven fire truck is on standby in the market for emergencies. The floor of the market has been tiled with proper drainage system making trading in the market a pleasurable experience. The leadership of the market has also dug a borehole and reticulated water to all the lines to help cater for the water and sanitation needs of traders. They also embark on regular monthly clean up exercise and waste evacuation to maintain a clean and green environment. The market has also keyed into Anambra State Government’s drive to kick out revenue thieves and all forms of touts from the market.
The market does not also also sleep in meeting its corporate social responsibilities to its host community and environs. Recently, it provided school materials to over eight hundred school children selected from communities in Idemili North Local Government Area including Ogidi. The poor and the less privileged are also remembered through their annual empowerment and distribution of food items to community homes selected from different parts of the state.
Building Materials International Market, Ogidi is on a continued journey to development. It thinks the future, the future market place and sustainable development in its policies and programmes. Truly, it goes without any argument that Building Materials International Market, Ogidi has maintained its place as the number one one-stop-shop in building materials and products east of the Niger.
Written by CHIBUZO OBIDIKE
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