By; PATRICK TITUS, Uyo
The rising activities of roadside trading around markets in Uyo metropolis, Akwa Ibom State and its attaining menace to lives and property is worrying residents.
Apart from causing both human and vehicular traffic in the affected areas, the safety of the traders as well as buyers on the roads is important.
It would be recalled that the state government had in February, 2021, banned street trading and gone ahead to set up a task force to ensure the full compliance but all seems not to be working as traders have summarily returned to the streets to sell their wares.
However, a visit to some of the markets within Uyo metropolis including the popular Itam and Akpan Andem markets, revealed that sellers prefer the roadside because inside the market is constantly muddy, some with stagnant water and heaps of rubbish left unattended to for days.
According to some market women who spoke with correspondents’ chapel members, it is always worse during the rainy season as everywhere is flooded inside the market, making it difficult for buyers to consider buying anything that is not found on the roadside
It was also discovered that even some of those selling on the road are shop owners inside the market but had to bring out their wares.
A yam seller at the popular Akpan Andem market who identified himself as Billy told our correspondent that the situation got worst during lockdown occasioned by the outbreak of COVID-19, where markets were locked for supposed fumigation.
He said people who were selling on the roadside afterwards refused to return to their stalls inside the market even when the market was opened for normal sessions.
“There was a time everybody was forced to leave the road and return to the main market. All the chicken sellers at the chicken plaza had their kiosks along this Udo Umana Street, the whole place was dirty and stinking. After several warnings, bulldozers came in and destroyed so many things.” He said.
He added, “There is no proper drainage system, the internal road network is now occupied by traders, even the motor park inside the market is occupied by second hand materials (okirika) sellers with big umbrellas and canopies, living just a little portion for vehicles.”
The visit however, revealed that over half of the lock-up stalls in the market are vacant due to the bad state.
It was also gathered that buyers even encourage the menace as they have noted in an interview that they prefer buying at the roadside as they claimed that inside the market is always muddy and stinking.
According to them, “if there are no sellers on the road, we will have no choice but to go inside and shop. But the unfavourable condition of the market is something to worry. It will be appropriate if the authorities do something urgently about the poor condition of market in the state.”
In the same vein, a cross section of women at Itam Market, in Itu LGA of the state who were interviewed, blamed ticket agents of encouraging the road side trading in the area.
An Afang leaf seller who spoke in confidence for fear of the unknown, said that is why it is difficult for government to push the roadside sellers especially those along the night market area back in.
Her words, “Sometimes state government taskforce will come and chase us away but those ticket boys will come and meet us to return to the street. They will convince us that they sell more on the road side than inside the market.
“The ticket collectors know that they make more money from those street sellers. While they collect say N100.00 for those inside the market, one agent collects up to N500.00 from a seller. Sometimes you see three different agents collecting N500 each from one trader.
“They don’t even issue them tickets after collecting the money. Any street trader that refuses to pay them, they will carry your goods. Sometimes you see them struggling with vegetable sellers. Some of the collectors move about with wheel barrows, if you don’t pay, they pack whatever you are selling inside the wheelbarrow and go.
“There are cases when you bring the money to pay them and ask them to return your goods they will not.
“If you go to that meat building, you will see only few people selling, most of them are outside. Unfortunately, you will find people selling very close to heaps of refuse. I don’t think that is healthy.”
However, analysts said that the only solution to the menace is for the relevant authorities to use the money gotten from the traders as levies to make the market habitable, adding that such would encourage both the traders and buyers to do their transactions inside the market.
However, efforts to get reactions from the Chairman of Traders Association in the state was unsuccessful as he told journalists who visited that he was rushing for a political meeting on the succession plan of the governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel.
