Abuja newspaper vendors hail Gbajabiamila’s appointment as chief of staff

By Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka
Abuja

The Newspapers’ Vendors Association of Abuja (NVAA) says the reason why it hails Mr President for the appointment of the speaker of 9th House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila as his Chief of Staff (CoS), is because he will deliver, based on his antecedents.

The association therefore used the opportunity to table their challenges to the government in power.

The chairman of the association, Idris – A- Hassan spoke to selected journalists in his office in the newspaper vendors market, in Garki, Area 1, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Coming up with more reasons, he informed that, apart from having used his office as the speaker to deliver, in the area of effective legislations, Hon Gbajabiamila, according to him has at a time empowered many of his members with motorcycles; a gesture that he said helped them in no small measure.

Calling on other public office holders to emulate the new CoS, Hassan therefore advised Gbajabiamila to keep the pace at which he has been going, which if continued, according to him, would go a long way for him and the masses in general.

Among the problems he appealed to the government to assist them address was to make the Ministries, Departments and Agencies’ (MDA’s), renew ordering of newspapers from them, as they were doing before. Informing that the government agencies stopped the usual and smooth business between them and his vendors during the era of the dreaded COVID – 19 pandemic, he then appealed that the business be made to continue as the pandemic has come and gone.

Supplies of newspapers by his members to government, according to him, assists his members in no small measure. Urging the agencies to reverse from their decisions, he said that the era of COVID – 19 has gone.

Another one, according to him was the emergence of the new media, among which are emergence of e – copies of newspapers, online publications. He said such publications had resulted in their customers reading newspapers through their handsets and other means.

The rest, according to him was the sudden increase in the petrol pump price per litre, which according to him has increased the transport fares. The chairman said that the hike in the transport fare has started to hinder their movement, even as he stated that most of his members hardly come to the newspaper distribution market, due to their inability to afford the fare.

Hassan further advised his members to to honestly go about their business with total submission to the law and the fear of God, saying that total total submission to the will of God and abedience to law is one of the keys to successes.

Picture Caption:
Newspapers displayed for sale in Berger bustop, Abuja