By Theodore Opara

The president of the United Allied Spare Parts Dealers Association (UASPDA) Deacon Simon Uzoetue has officially launched a shop verification and authentication programme aimed at harmonizing and reconciling all issues relating to documentation, payments, allocation and ownership of shops at the ultra-modern machine parts market popularly known as UASPDA Plaza located inside Lagos International Trade Fair Complex.

Not fewer than three thousand shop owners are expected to converge at the market premises in compliance with the two months exercise holding August and September this year.

While speaking at a ceremony to commemorate his administration’s first one year in office, Uzoetue said the authentication exercise is a necessary step in the second phase of his transformation agenda tagged “Project Market Drive”.

According to him, “we want to settle every issue pertaining to documentation, payments, shop allocation and shop ownership because we noticed some of you are occupying shops which do not belong to them, while others are using one shop document to obtain two shops, some are having payments complications, while others are having incomplete documents or records.

“It is therefore important and mandatory for every shop owner in this market to please come forward with all your documents for verification and to update your records by clearing all outstanding payments, after which an authentication certificate will be issued to every successful participant. Failure to attend or to meet all requirements will result in shop revocation,” he stated.

Chairman of the Market Drive Implementation Committee Chief Osita Ekpunobi while throwing more light on the project enumerated the need to relaunch the market by making it more comfortable and profitable for traders and shop owners in the market through increased patronage by customers, suppliers and investors which is why the project was established.

Uzochukwu Maduike scribe of the union also used the occasion to highlight some of the administration’s achievements during the past one year to include; sinking of boreholes with storage tanks and public taps for enhanced sanitation; procurement of two giant generators for the CSO and general security offices; reforming the secretariat building by allocating and equipping offices for the various committees; furnishing the Union’s meeting hall, and installing solar energy system to reduce running costs at the secretariat among others.