By DADA AYOKHAI
Edo State Commissioner of Business, Trade, and Cooperatives, Hon Afie Braimoh, for the umpteenth time, scored the “Made in Edo” policy of the state government high and urged citizens of the state to cue into its laudable objective of helping to boost the local economy
Stating that the burden of making the policy succeed rests squarely on the shoulders of everyone not only the state government, Hon Braimoh admonished corporate organizations and groups to integrate the policy into their procurement policies
She made this disclosure at the formal opening of the Edo NUJ Food Mart, set up by the Edo State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the umbrella body of journalists in the state
The food mart is situated within the premises of the state NUJ in the Government Reserved Area of Benin which also serves as its secretariat.
The Edo NUJ Food Mart is part of the Union’s efforts to cushion the effect of the spiraling cost of living on its members.
According to the state chairman of the NUJ, Comrade Festus Alehe, the Union conceived the idea of the food mart on realizing that its members were spending a huge chunk of their income on foodstuffs arising from the spiraling cost of living in the country.
He described the food mart as a “welfarist” package to the members, adding that the members of the Union as well as those he described as “friends of the Union” will now be able to source their foodstuffs and other related items at a pocket-friendly cost
Hon Braimoh performed the cutting of the tape to formally declare the Food Mart open. She was ably supported by members of the state NUJ Exco and Hon. Musa Ehbomina, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the deputy governor of the state
While lauding the efforts of the state NUJ on the idea of the Food Mart, which she said was in tandem with the state government’s “Made in Edo” policy, and also geared to realising the Making Edo Great Again (MEGA) Agenda of the state government in achieving economic prosperity for Edo people.
Hon Braimoh further submitted that the policy has gained wider acceptance even across the state with “Made in Edo* products adorning the shelves of the major supermarts and food chains and called on the state NUJ to help beam more light on the policy.
She, however, promised to provide support to the Union in getting a better bargain in the sourcing of the food items from the farmers and also poured encomiums on the Alehe-led Union leadership for placing the general well-being of its members above any other consideration within the short time it has been in office
The high point of the unveiling ceremony was the taking of turns by dignitaries and members of the union to make first purchase at the Food Mart
