… As Exhibitors commend organisers over security arrangement***
Mr Jasper Nduagwuike, President of the Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA) has expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the 33rd Enugu International Trade Fair.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 12-day fair, Nduagwuike said that the chamber enjoyed the total support of its numerous exhibitors, participants and visitors.
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He adjudged the fair as successful and hitch-free as it did not record any form of insecurity as insinuated.
According to him, in the course of the fair, testimonies were heard, relationships were born, networks were created, orders were placed and hands were shaken over concluded business deals.
We are indeed grateful to God.
“What we have seen this year, is a pointer to the fact that what we always believed about the 34th Enugu International Trade Fair will come to pass,” he said.
Nduagwuike explained that the fair was slowly returning to the pride of place it occupied in the 80s and ’90s.
He pledged to work harder to move it higher, adding that, there was no doubt that the government would continue to cooperate with it to ensure that the fair was brought to where it ought to be.
He, however, appealed to the Federal Government, to support the fair the same way it supported Lagos and Kaduna trade fair sites.
“Even if it is due to paucity of funds, they cannot develop us to the extent they did for Lagos and Kaduna, they should at least build an exhibition hall and an administrative block for us.
“My administration has decided to build a new pavilion which will be inaugurated on or before the opening ceremony of the 34th Enugu International Trade Fair,” the president said.
Nduagwuike lauded Dangote Industries and Nigeria Breweries for sponsoring the fair, adding that they were no breaches of security throughout the fair.
The president expressed the hope that more foreign firms would participate in the 34th Enugu International Trade Fair in 2023.
“As we speak, we are proud to state that about 20 countries have already indicated their willingness to be part of next year’s fair.
“It is a fair that will have the greatest number of new participants, this year we had over 15 new firms that participated in our fairs.
”We hope to have more participants next year and by God’s grace, it will only get better,” Nduagwuike said.
Speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MCI), Enugu State, Mr Godwin Anigbo said the insecurity in the state was not as it was being speculated.
Anigbo, represented by the Director of Administration in the ministry, Mr Nwabueze Chukwude, said Enugu was peaceful unlike other states in the South-East.
He lauded the participants for being part of the history, urging investors to invest in the state.
“Enugu state has ease way of doing business as there was no issue of double taxation in place,” he said.
The newsmen report that countries like the Republic of Namibia, China, India and Ghana attended the 33rd Enugu fair which lasted for 12 days starting from March 25 to April 6.
In the meantime, some exhibitors at the Enugu International Trade Fair have commended the organisers for putting up a water-tight security arrangement.
They spoke with the newsmen in Enugu as the fair ended on Wednesday.
Newsmen report that the trade fair, organised by the Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA), opened on March 25.
One of the exhibitors, Mr Onyeka Nduka, from Fedan Investment Ltd., said the chamber needed to be commended in spite of some understandable lapses during the event.
Nduka said that it was gratifying that no case of theft or loss of personal effects was reported during the fair.
He, however, said that ECCIMA needed to do more in the area of publicity, to ensure that the people of the area got to know what was happening.
Nduka also appealed to the organisers of the fair to reduce the N200. 00 entry ticket in subsequent fairs, considering the economic situation in the country.
“Beyond this, it will also be nice if there is at least one day where buyers will have free access to the fair.
This will encourage patronage.
“We came all the way from Lagos and need to make sales.
Though we have not been meeting our expectations, we will also be here next year by the grace of God,” Nduka said.
Also, the Enugu/Ebonyi Territorial Manager, Tumy Tumy Foods Industries Ltd., Mr Mathias Ajogu, said that the bad economic situation in the country affected the fair.
Ajogu said that the 2022 edition was different from what was obtained in previous years.
“People are complaining because there is no money anywhere.
“If buyers do not come, it will discourage us, but we believe things will be better next year.
“We have been attending this trade fair and will continue to come, as no manufacturer will produce and keep, instead of selling,” he said.
Ajogu said that ECCIMA deserved commendation on the manner they organised the event without security hitches.
Another exhibitor, Mrs Helen Ajayi, said that unlike what they were hearing about the South-East in terms of insecurity, the area had been peaceful.
Ajayi said that the presence of security men in the trade fair complex made her comfortable.