• How closure of major food market affected our lives – Lagos residents
By Vivian Onyebukwa and Lukman Olabiyi
Traders at the Mile 12 International Market, a major market for foodstuff in Lagos, have continued to count their losses in the aftermath of the recent closure of the market by the Lagos State Government over environmental breaches.
The closure, which lasted for 48 hours, according to the traders in the market, cost them nothing less than N 1 billion within the three days it lasted.
This was revealed by the authorities of the market during a chat with Saturday Sun on how the situation was managed, including measures put in place to prevent reoccurrence of such sanctions from the government and others.
Mr. Femi Odusanya who spoke on behalf of the traders, gave an account of the pain the traders went through during the period.
He said the effects of the market closure were not only felt by the traders alone but were felt by all Lagosians due to skyrocketing prices and scarcity of food items during the period.
According to Odusanya: “Mile 12 International Market is peculiar because it is a perishable commodities hub of the state that supplies agricultural produce to over 400 small markets across the state.
“The traders of the market lost over N400 million daily due to the closure and the effects of the closure were not only felt by the traders but also Lagosians who were at the receiving end due to the cost of foods at this difficult time.
“We are still counting our losses as a result of the closure. Many damaged goods are currently at Mowe and Ibafo in Ogun State where it was offloaded. Millions of naira goods ranging from tomato and other perishable items are there. The closure was sudden; nobody saw it coming. When it happened, we quickly diverted many trailers coming to the market to neighbouring markets outside the state. The goods were not needed there but that is the only option we have then. So, due to the surplus, many goods got damaged.”
On what led to the closure and prevention of a reoccurrence, Odusanya, who is the spokesperson and consultant to the market, said no notice of environmental infractions was served on the market before the closure.
He stated that the management of the market would continue to take the issue of environmental sanitation, hygiene and food safety seriously at all times and would ensure that its environments were kept clean and tidy.
The Iyaloja General of Ikosi /Isheri cum Iyaloja of Mile 12, Alhaja Iyabo Ahmed also revealed different strategies being put in place to ensure that the government does not shut the market again.
She thanked the state government for reopening the market, noting that the management of the market would continue to work with cleaner environment.
Ahmed stated that as a result of the huge debts incurred owing to the market closure, some traders from the North were feeling reluctant to bring goods to Lagos again.
She said the issue did not only affect the traders in the market but all Lagosians due to the resultant scarcity of food items.
On Friday October 13, the Lagos State government shut Mile 12 and Owode Onirin markets over poor sanitation in the markets.
Mile 12 International Market is a very large market that is popular for its availability of virtually all types of food products. It is a wholesale market where retailers buy food items for retailing.
Some people who spoke to Saturday Sun lamented that the closure did more harm than good as the prices of food items shot up and became unavailable, too.
According to Agnes Njama, a fashion designer, one would have thought that the market closure would bring down the prices of good. “I was surprised to go to the market at Ijegun where I live and I discovered that five seeds of tomatoes were sold for N500. I have never seen this kind of thing before. When I asked why, my customer told me that they had to scout for where they could buy tomatoes at Mile 12 due to the closure of the market.
I had budgeted to buy N200 tomatoes but I ended up buying N500 tomatoes which I managed.”
Bisi Eretan, a beautician, said: “It was a shock because I never believed that Mile 12 market (the headquarters of food stuffs) can ever be closed just like that.” She noted that the prices of food naturally went up as there is no other foodstuff market around to accommodate what the merchants were bringing in.
She said she expected that perishable items like tomatoes would be sold off to save cost, but it was not the case. “A basket normally sold for N17,000 increased to about N23,000. It was a clear case of too many people chasing few goods. Personally, the effect wasn’t much for me because I have a habit of storing up some things in dry form or in the freezer.
However, it affected the finances of my church because it was our anniversary week. Those who went to the market on Saturday had to call for financial backup and went through so much stress to get the few things they could get,” Eretan said.
Also relating her own experiences, Funmi Falobi, Coordinator, Initiative for Social Impact and Sustainable Development (ISISD), said the prices of foodstuffs skyrocketed because the prices were already high, and the closure of Mile 12 market added to the situation.
Her words: “It caused more hardship on the masses. It was like spending more on food out of the meagre resources available. The economy is not smiling and finances have not improved.”
Also speaking, June Mbamalu, a school teacher, stated: “We are facing a lot of hardship in this country. The recent increase in fuel prices affected the cost of food items. High cost of foreign exchange, insecurity, and so on, have also contributed to the high prices of food. There are growing numbers of poor people in this country as a result of rising prices of food. With the closure of Mile 12 market, things became worse. I am not blaming the government for closing the market, because health is wealth. What I am saying is that they should find other ways of ensuring that traders in the markets, not just Mile 12, adhere to rules and regulations guiding the markets. Sanitation is key. During this few days of market closure, my family spent more than we were supposed to, because the cost of food items shot up, and there were scarcity too.”
The situation was critical as many people lamented increasing hunger over the non-affordability of prices and the non-availability of food during the closure. Rose, who operates a mini bar at Apapa, Lagos said there was scarcity of pepper, tomatoes, onions because the closure affected small markets around Lagos. “I go to the Boundary Market, Ajegunle to buy things that I use to prepare meat and fish for my customers. I had to spend more money on these food items as a result of increase in prices. Thank God they have re-opened the market. It is a total relief. We know that the cost of food items are high, but the closure added to the problem”.
Also a roadside food vendor at Ijegun, Lagos who simply identified herself as Madam Jenny, wondered how people still survive in Nigeria with the present economic situation. “People come here merely begging for food. I pity some of them who come here with N100 to buy food. How do you expect to have three meals when 50 kilogram of home-milled rice is sold for N45,000 and the minimum wage is nothing to write home about. A loaf of bread for a family of four is over N1,200 now. Most people are unemployed. With the closure of Mile 12 Market, things became worse. Prices of food items skyrocketed. I heard that the government has re-opened the market. I thank God for that.”
A Rights group, The Centre for Human and Socio-economic Rights (CHSR), which felt that the hardship caused by the market closure became unbearable, called on Gov Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State to re-open the two markets to prevent compounding economic hardship.
The President of CHSR, Alex Omotehinse, in a statement described the closure of the markets as a misplaced priority.
According to him, the re-opening would avoid the unintended consequences on economic investments and livelihoods of overwhelming majority of the people. “We condemn recent closure of Owode Onirin and Mile 12 International markets by the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab.”
The group asserted that the closure coming at the heels of recent actions that negatively affected the livelihoods of millions of Lagos residents is unfortunate and a misplaced priority.
The statement described the two markets as not only critical to economic survival of millions of traders across the country, but also strategic to the supply of perishable food and vehicle spare parts in Sub-Sahara Africa.
“We also wish to reiterate that arbitrary and frequent closure of markets at a time of economic downturn, when citizens are barely coping with survival, is ill-conceived and counterproductive,” the statement said.
Mile 12 and Owode Onirin Markets were shut down on Friday October 7 by the Lagos State government through the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab. The closure was announced via a statement by Kunle Adeshina, the ministry’s Director of Public Affairs. The closure order was enforced by officers from the Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, and Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps, KAI.
The statement read in parts: “Recent events at Mile 12 and Owode Onirin markets have brought to light the pressing need for strict adherence to sanitation standards.
“The closure, though a difficult decision, is a necessary step to address the prevailing environmental challenges. It will also ensure the safety and well-being of all stakeholders.
“The closure of Mile 12 and Owode Onirin markets will enable the stakeholders to assess the situation and improve public health and environmental sanity around those axes.
“Conditions in the markets have deteriorated to a point where immediate intervention became inevitable.”
The markets as well as some other ones earlier shut down by the government were reopened two days later by the state government.