Agarawu Tools Marketers Relocate to Trade Fair Complex En Masse

More than 2,550 members of the Tools and Hardware Dealers Association of Nigeria (TAHDAN) have relocated out of Idumota, shutting down business activities at the ever busy Agarawu Street tools market on Lagos Island. This followed TAHDAN’s successful completion and opening of their new ultra modern Tools And Hardware Centre sited inside the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex along Badagry Express Way, which gulped about N3.56 billion on its completion.

Commenting on the development, President of the association, Chief Jude Obika, expressed appreciation towards his members for their commitment and selfless sacrifices during the construction of the market. “This is a great and unimaginable effort of which we are already reaping the dividends, and this will pass on to the future and unborn generations,” he said. “But my greatest joy is that we have been able to contribute to the building of our dear nation Nigeria by humbly erecting this monumental economic centre for international trade, for poverty alleviation, massive employment and industrial growth.”

According to the scribe of the association, Felix Nnadi,, “the Tools and Hardware Dealers Association is made up of over 2,550 members, excluding apprentices. Each member contributed a minimum of N850, 000 to own a shop here, while personal plazas cost from N120 million and above depending on the size or design of each structure. There are 3,000 lock up shops and 26 personal plazas in all,” Nnadi said..

The multibillion tools and hardware centre is comfortably located on the 25,000square metre area of land, formerly known as Swiss Park, facing the Progressives Jewellery Market. Apart from providing adequate and spacious shops for use as showroom, packing store and office apartments for all the traders and importers in particular, the Vice President of TAHDAN, Kenneth Ugbajah, enumerated other gains which accompany the traders movement to include “freedom from landlords and area boys harassments; free space for car park, shopping and vehicular movement; very clean and business friendly environment; and above all, the gesture is in support of the Lagos State Government’s Mega City transformation agenda which aims at decongesting and ending street trading everywhere in Lagos.”