Phone and laptop dealers in Edo State have asked the government for land on which to develop and run markets for their trade. Governor Monday Okpebholo said the state would look at a suitable site for a proposed Edo Computer Village. He met representatives of the dealers at Government House in Benin City on Tuesday, 3 November.
The union’s request extends beyond a single trading centre. Its chairman, Akhile Ighalo Rodney, asked the government to make land available in strategic locations across Edo’s three senatorial districts. Members want to develop and manage the sites themselves. That division of responsibilities was part of the traders’ proposal to the governor.
Rent was at the centre of the exchange. For a trader, securing a stall is an expense that comes before the first sale of a handset or laptop. Rodney said dealers wanted to reduce the cost of renting shops and improve their working conditions. He also raised security as a reason for seeking dedicated markets.
Okpebholo said a purpose-built location could reduce rents and make traders safer. He pointed to the development of Computer Village in Lagos as an example for Edo. The existing Lagos market is a reference in the discussion. Its name does not identify a site that has already been allocated in Edo.
The union also asked for advisers drawn from the industry and a continuing way to discuss its concerns with the state. The governor’s public statement commits his administration to working with the dealers and considering a site. It does not announce an address, construction date, stall allocation process or rent for the proposed market.
What it means for you. If you sell or repair devices in Edo, the meeting tells you what the union is asking for and which issues the state has agreed to consider. It gives no date by which to move your business and no amount to pay for a stall. Those details would need a separate announcement.