Before she finally joined the nocturnal trip bandwagon, Mrs Falilat Oyediran, food stuff dealer in Alagbado area of Lagos, attempted to explore the legitimate window given by the government to restock having almost depleted her stock.

The government had included dealers of food items in the concession given to those on essential duties whose movement is less affected by the lock down put in place as part of measures to contain the spread of coronavirus in the country.

But Oyediran’s experience on her first attempt to replenish her stock was anything, but pleasant.

“I left home some minutes to 5:00 a.m, but on getting to the bus stop there were fewer vehicles on the road and I was there for close to an hour before I could get a bus,” Oyediran recalled.

By the time she got to Ojota, after series of harassment at different checkpoints, the mother of three said it dawned on her that she was in for a bigger trouble as the final leg of her journey to Mile 2 proved the most arduous.

“Although there were fewer vehicles bringing traders from the market, only a handful was ready to return to the market as they cited incessant harassment and extortions by security operatives along the roads,” she revealed.

By the time she eventually got to the market, Oyediran said she was not only exhausted; she could only buy what she described as the “remnants of the market”, a development she claimed made her day an uneventful one and compelled her to have a change of plans subsequently.

Oyediran’s experience confirms the fear of a former President, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Mr Okechukwu Unegbu, who observed that despite the concession on freedom of movement given to food item dealers like others on essential duties, security operatives might turn out to be a major hurdle.

“Lagos State government deserves commendation for the measures put in place so far in ensuring that people get food to buy during this period of lock down. My fear, however, is about our overzealous security operatives who have the tendency to complicate the situation for these traders,” Unegbu had said.

Since the lockdown directive took effect some few weeks ago in Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital territory, food markets have been given the latitude to operate between 10:00 a.m and 2:00 p.m on certain days of the week to enable people restock their homes.

But major dealers in food items said it’s been pretty difficult getting their wares to their respective stalls in the markets for the final consumers as they lament the challenge of transporting their products from major food markets to their respective local markets. From Oyigbo Market to Ojuwoye market in Mushin area of Lagos, Mile 2 to Ile-Epo Market in Agbado-Oke odo LCDA, the common refrain on the lips of traders dealing in food items, is the burdensomeness of conveying their goods to their final selling points.

Like Oyediran, findings revealed that majority of dealers in food items have now resorted to nocturnal trips in their attempts to replenish their stores, a development many of them claim predisposes them to a lot of dangers and hazards associated with night journey.  Many, however, tend to wonder how food items get to most markets with the restrictions on movements in place. According Mrs Ekaette, a food ingredient dealer at Lawanson Market, most of her colleagues in the Calabar Corner, a section dedicated to dealers in ingredients for Calabar delicacies, leave home as early as 5:00 am to Shitta Bus stop in a public transport. From Shitta, however, the traders usually trek to Costain before taking another bus to Oyingbo, where they buy their goods.

“It takes the grace of God to get vehicles when coming back because the drivers are always scared of the security operatives on the road. So,  often we trek back to Lawanson Market, but occasionally we still manage to get vehicles to convey us to certain points to ease our movement,” she explained.

Aminu Adamu who deals in soup ingredients at Idi-Araba market has a different itinerary. Adamu said he leaves his house for Mile 12 at 10:00 pm to buy his goods.

“Surprisingly, the market is always a beehive of activity at this period of the night because there are lots of buyers of perishable products in the market at this period of the night.

“There are standby vehicles waiting for traders.

After buying, you give N200 to some boys hanging around to help convey the items to the waiting vehicles. It is relatively better to go to Mile 12 at night to buy the goods. We have discovered that it is more expensive and more difficult to go to the market in day time because of the harassment and extortions by security operatives enforcing the lockdown directive. We usually get back around 2:00 am,” he said

Before the lockdown began, Adamu claimed that he used to pay between N800 and N1,000 to transport his goods. This, according to him, has, however, increased to about N2,000, a development he said has equally affected his selling price.

A trader who simply identified herself as Madam Chizoba at Ejigbo Market described her experience in getting her goods from Oyigbo Market to her stall in Ejigbo as hellish since all major markets where retailers, like her, get their goods have now resorted to night operations.

“What we encounter as retailers from the major markets before bringing our wares to our local markets could only be better imagined than experienced. Now, most sellers of foodstuffs depend on Oyingbo/Otto Market which is situated on the Mainland. Before the lockdown that led to the closure of the markets, women from various parts of Lagos-Orile, Satelite Town, Oshodi, Ejigbo/Ikotun, Egbeda etc, all restock their wares from the popular Oyingbo Market as early as 4.30 - 5. 00 am and  would go back to their respective selling outlets.

“But now all the major markets like Oyingbo, Mushin, Mile 12 etc, have resorted to midnight trading. Since the major markets now sell only from 8 pm - 3 am we leave for the markets in the evening and shop between 9 pm and 11 pm. and then return home same night. If we cannot get home before 12 midnight and 1 am, we go straight to the market and sleep there, because there are security guards in the market,” she revealed.

As risky as this may appear, our correspondents gathered that more and more traders are taking to the option as their last resort in a bid to carry on with their business and to avoid getting being caught in the alleged web of harassment and exploitation by security operatives.

“Sleeping in the markets is gradually becoming part of the business for us now. If one does not sleep at Oyingbo Market, one may then sleep at Mushin, Mile 12 or local market. It seems this is the only way our business can progress now.

“ So, When I said we are suffering, this is exactly what I meant. It is not for nothing that transporters have been dealing with us. The normal trip where ordinarily they would charge N200.00 has been increased to N500.00. And one has no better option than to pay because the whole exercise is taking place at night, and one must at least play safe,” Madam Chizoba disclosed.

For Chukwuebuka who deals in cassava flour, rice, beans and other food items, there is yet another way to mitigate the risk of having to move to and fro major markets at nights. “We move to the market at nights ahead of the vehicles bringing garri and plantain from Benin to Mushin. Traders from the same locations would then agree to convey their goods in one big vehicle straight to the market while we monitor the driver through phone calls. The moment he drives into the market; we would go home to relax and come back the following morning to take the delivery of our goods. It is very challenging and risky because all these transactions are done in the middle of the night all in a bid to make food available for the people.”

As Nigerians anxiously look ahead to the end of the lockdown, not a few are of the opinion that governments at all levels need to do more to save those not affected by the deadly coronavirus from dying of starvation as some food dealers, who do not have the capacity to continue with  the grueling challenge of replenishing their depleting stocks have threatened to withdraw their services until normalcy is restored.

Mr Patrick Eze, food item dealer at Daleko Market Mushin, is one of such people.  “I need to go to Mile 12, Oyingbo and other places, but to find a bus to take me there is very hard. The commercial drivers that used to carry us are now observing the lockdown and are afraid of coming out. You can see that my shop is getting depleted. I don’t have onions, dried pepper and I can’t go out to buy them. The stock I’m selling now is the one I bagged and stored. Once I finish selling it, I’ll lock up my store and go home till this lockdown is finally lifted”, he said.

Sun