A Beninois trado-medical practitioner, Mr Robert Dossou, on Monday expressed delight at the patronage of his herbal medicines by Nigerians at the Lagos International Trade Fair.
Dossou spoke at the Tafawa Balewa Square venue of the fair as it entered its fourth day.
The 2021 fair opened on Nov. 5 and will run till Nov. 14 at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Lagos, with the theme: “Connecting Businesses, Creating Value”.
The fair is being organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and over 200,000 visitors are expected, while about 1,500 exhibitors from 16 countries are participating.
Dossou said he was exhibiting in the fair because of the opportunities which abound in Nigeria in the trado-medical area.
The Beninois said that patronage of his products by Nigerians had been satisfactory so far.
He said that diseases such as low sperm count, high blood pressure, ulcer, skin disorder, obesity, tooth ache, waist pain among others could be treated effectively using unorthodox methods.
Meanwhile, some other exhibitors and food vendors in the ongoing 2021 Lagos International Trade Fair (LITF) have decried the hike in the gate fee from N200 to N500 by the organisers.
They said the increment was preventing more local visitors from accessing the fair, which was affecting their sales.
An art exhibitor, Mr Fortune Okoh, said his principal had been exhibiting in the trade fair in the past four years.
Okoh said: “This year, we have not started getting the kind of patronage we normally get from visitors.
“Even last year, we made a lot of sales despite the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I believe that the increment in the gate fee for visitors to N500 is preventing more people from coming in to buy from us.”
Another exhibitor, Mr Uche Ikeagwu, who runs a toyshop said many parents usually bring their children to the fair for fun and sightseeing.
He said with the increment might discourage some parents from taking their children along this time around.
Also, a food vendor, Miss Kemi Olaolu, said the number of visitors at the fair so far was fewer than the last edition.
She said food vendors were competing to sell their foods because there were other vendors outside the fair who were being patronised by visitors and exhibitors.
Another food vendor, who simply gave her name as Iya Bunmi , expressed optimism that more visitors would come to the fair in the coming days.
“For now, sales have been a bit slow but it will pick up soon hopefully,” she said.
