20% table water producers shut down operations in Ogun – Official

The Association of Table Water Producers of Nigeria (ATWAP), Ogun State Chapter, says over 20 per cent of its members shut down production between January to June due to poor infrastructure.

The Ogun State Chairman of ATWAP, Babatunde Lawal, spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Ota, Ogun.

According to Mr Lawal, the affected members were unable to continue production due to a lack of critical infrastructure, which hampered their business.

He identified bad roads, poor power supply and some government policies as challenges that impeded the effective distribution of their product.

He said that some of the challenges, such as increased fuel prices and a general hike in the cost of raw materials, also resulted in increased vehicle repair costs and production costs in the long run.

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“We are appealing to the state and federal governments to redouble their efforts towards providing an enabling environment for businesses to thrive,“ he said.

Mr Lawal emphasised the need for the provision of critical infrastructure because any firm or business that shuts down would automatically downsize all its employees, thus leading to an increased unemployment rate.

(NAN)