MULTIPLE CASUALTIES, AS FLOOD GROUNDS BUSINESS ACTIVITES IN LAGOS

Due to the heavy and terrible downpour
that occurred in Lagos on Sunday, business activities were grounded as many
resident stayed back to battle the aftermath of the flood.

While few commuters who attempt
to operate were stranded at various bus
stops across Lagos as flood submerged roads and rendered mobility impossible.
In many areas, the drainage channels, canals and the roads were swallowed up by
flood.

However the flood has also thrown residents
of the state in mourning as multiple casualties are continued to recorded
across the state.

In Aboru  community of  Agbado Oke Odo Local Council Development Area
of the state about 10 dead bodies were recovered among several people who were
said to have been drowned .


In Ifako-Ijaye Local Government of the state,
 a 13-year old boy of a police officer,
was buried alive this yesterday morning when the house where he resides with
his parents collapsed.

The building located at Unity Street near the
canal, off Aina Ajobo Street close to Ifako-Ijaye Local Government Secretariat,
collapsed as a result of the Sunday heavy rain.

Another teenager is still said to be buried
inside the debris of the collapsed building and local diggers were making
efforts this morning to recover the body.

While  15
other houses in the area collapsed yesterday, residents of affected areas  were busy trying to salvage some of their
belongings from the flood.

MY VISIT TO CHINESE VILLAGE OJOTA, LAGOS

  With the growing influx of the Chinese and its product in Nigeria, most markets in the country are flooded with Chinese and its products while they (Chinese) set up market to accommodate their peculiarity, the Chinese Village located at Ojota Lagos became a hub for “cheap, standard and sub standard” products in Nigeria some decades ago. The once booming Village which house more than 400 Chinese business outfit has decline in the last few years , A shopper at the Village, Mrs Takun Olabiyi said “we all know this place as a very center because of the china people, their products are cheap and good but suddenly things change” A Chinese, Mr. Briliant who manages JY trade Ltd. For Mr. Jin Yuan said the village started witness low patronage in early 2009. He lamentented that since 2005 nobody really comes to china town to purchase their goods, sales has really fallen.  He urge the government to help them promote the center to attract new customer while he blamed the government for many misfortunes of the Chinese “we keep saying there is no sale but the problem is the government , most of the goods in Nigeria are from china, our goods do stay up to four months on the high sea after which we face another problem of Nigerian agencies, from custom, police even traffic warden before we get to the store most of our goods would be staled, we want the government to come to our aid  Abiodun Olawale  a sales boy at the only Flower Vase store owned by Mr. Li Xi Feng and Mrs. Zhang Ying describe his Chinese boss as splendid but hate their smoking attitude  “my boss are nice people , we both relate like friends, they give me extra money but one thing I don’t like about them is that they  smoke anyhow, anywhere, anytime “ “am happy to be working with the Chinese vaillage, I am very happy t be here because I can compare the Chinese people to we Nigerians,  I am not saying we Nigerians are bad but the Chinese take some we Nigerians as their brothers. There is one thing some of our Nigerians can do but would not do take for instant, I now have a friend among the Chinese who vowed to take to china to start business if I can spend up to a year with them, these are people who keep their promises, I love them , but the fact remain the same that I am still a Nigerian. He said,  he has been in Nigeria for a year to work for his boss Mr. Jin Yuan a Chinese man who owns JY trade co. Ltd, a lace and head tie store. He gave us an insight about the relationship between the Chinese and Nigerians as casual relationship, he said, he only came to Nigeria to lowest in Nigeria with boss, he continued, we decided to be a retailer is lace and head tie because we believed this is what Nigerians love most. The reason is to  promote the growth and the relationship between Chinese and Nigerians, we all know that 80% of the Nigerians goods are from china, so Nigerians needs china, they really need to build a business relationship with china.  He furthered more by telling us how he threats his Nigerians workers as brothers and sisters,  just like they are Chinese, I take good care of them, some twins if they really work hard I give them small peanut apart from their salaries and I do give them food. I am doing this just to let the Nigerian workers know that Chinese people are great, if they also impress me, I give extra money to go  home with, but one thing I would not hide about we Chinese is this, we are people that deals with time, we do not play with our job, if they are late we deduct little money from their salaries just to show them how to serious and how to be time conscious