Furniture Accessories ‘Lie Fallow’ As  Ita-Amodu Dealers Face ‘Boycott’ From  Ilorin Woodworkers, Furniture Makers

Those who are dealers in furniture accessories at Ita Amodu, Ilorin , the Kwara state capital, are currently dealing with a difficult situation.

Team@orientactualmags.com learned that leaders of the  Kwara state Furniture Association had since Monday ,  October 30, 2023, directed woodworkers, and furniture makers in the state not to buy furniture accessories at Ita-Amodu which interestingly is the only place where such materials are available in the state capital.

Chairs, tables, beds, cupboards, wardrobes and other items that are put into a house or other buildings to make it suitable and comfortable for living are products of the furniture industry.

Members of the Kwara state Furniture Association have since Monday stayed away from Ita Amodu and they have not in any way suffered ‘boycott fatigue’ rather  a taskforce has been reportedly set up to ensure that the directive is complied with.

 They have alleged ‘price gouging’ on the part of the furniture accessories dealers.

 ‘Itamodu is a place in Ilorin where they sell foams, clothes, and boards. What is at issue is the boards which comprise MDF , MFC and HDF boards.

 Those selling the boards at Ita Amodu arbitrarily increased the price and it has affected us seriously.

The board that was sold for N12,800  or N13,000   two weeks ago ,was suddenly  increased to N18,000 and  some among them were saying it was because of exchange rate , especially  dollars.

In the past , they do inform us that the price may increase next week  or next month and even when  this happens   , they will only add N200 or N300 but  this one was with no prior information and  we are talking about five thousand naira , this is unacceptable’ a furniture maker, Mr. Yusuf AbdulGafar  told Team@orientactualmags.com .

Reminded that there is rising cost of living in the country  and the fact that  the furniture accessories dealers may also have been left with no option than to increase the price of the boards , Mr Yusuf submitted that they were reliably informed that the furniture accessories dealers  have not brought  new goods but rather selling what they had warehoused.

 He lamented that most furniture makers had gotten plunged into debt  because of the price increase while submitting that the ‘boycott’ will continue until leaders of the association give a directive that they should put a halt to it.

      ‘For now, we don’t know  when we will stop  the boycott  most of our  people have been plunged into debt because of  the new development, if they can reduce it people will know what to do  in respect of the issue, we are actually facing a precarious situation , let us say someone  got a job and he will need boards like 30  and he has collected money , with the N5000  increase which was unexpected, what will he do? And you must deliver the job’ he added.

Mr. Sulyman Abdulateef, who has been a furniture maker for 30 years, also spoke in the same vein ,and he has justified the decision to ‘stay away’ from Ita Amodu.

‘Some among us have gotten jobs like  2, 3 weeks ago and they have collected money only to discover that boards now cost  five thousand naira extra, will he ask the person who has given him the job to add extra money?  They need to show understanding and make efforts to relief our plight’ he said-Team@orientactualmags.com
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