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λ High rent pushes Abuja residents to sell food from vehicles
From Idu Jude, Abuja
Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. So be it with Ikechukwu Umeadi. His efforts to make ends meet buttress this wise saying. He came to Abuja with the hope of being a successful businessman and a mindset of not despising humble beginnings.
Luck was not on his side, however. The little money he was paid by his master, after nine years of apprenticeship in Onitsha, Anambra State, was not enough to continue paying shop rents in Abuja.
He now sells a variety of foodstuffs at Wuse Zone 2, using a car trunk, to beat the high cost of shop rent in Abuja, an endeavour which came with other challenges from the Abuja Environmental Protection Agency (AEPB), for instance.
He told Daily Sun: “There are things I don’t need to recall. I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly while trying to make it in life. I began back in 2001 after I finished my apprenticeship at the Onitsha Main Market.
“I decided to move up to the North to stay away from my boss and explore new grounds for our business. But I was wrong. I was met with Mallam El-Rufai’s demolition exercise, which was so devastating.
“The incident took place shortly after I renewed my rent in 2005. Efforts to get back on my feet were frustrated. The rampaging men of the AEPB burnt down my goods at Julius Berger Junction, where we used to chase prospective buyers with clothing. This left me with no choice but to change to what I am doing now.
“Selling out of my car trunk is beneficial because it is with less overhead costs. With a variety of dishes, I make a gain of N50,000 daily after expenses. I can comfortably pay the children’s school fees, and we eat from the same pot.”
Benjamin Gyepgon, from Adamawa State: “I am a graduate and I studied Food and Nutrition at the University of Jos, Plateau State. I sell food at AYA (a suburb in Abuja), using a Sienna bus trunk. I think I make more than what anyone can pay me as a degree holder.
“I spend less and make more. Above all, I am my boss because no one dictates to me. I don’t pay shop rent anymore. The way landlords increase rent left me with no option but to make use of my car trunk.
“The advantage of the mobile shops cannot be over-emphasised. It makes things easier and users make more savings to take care of other family matters. I can tell you that a single suite shop in Wuse 2 presently costs N4 million to N5 million annually, as against N400,000 that was the rate years before.
“So, you can imagine that when income is no longer steady due to the economic downturn, it means so many wouldn’t be able to renew shop rents. I suppose that is why mobile shops are proliferating in Abuja nowadays.”
A lawyer, Solomon Ndedigwe, said: “Every advanced country has roadside eateries or mobile cars providing quick services, just like what we have in Abuja now, which houses numerous trucks or cars with different food and drink options.
“A good number of mobile food vendors are currently in custody after being accused of constituting an environmental nuisance across the FCT. The painful aspect of this is that most of them are never charged in court.
“Some ignorant ones are sent out of Abuja or repatriated to their various states because they have no business staying here. They forgot that this is the Federal Capital Territory where every Nigerian has equal rights to stay.”
The issue of rent increase is not only viewed as a decoy problem by Shylock landlords who jump for the highest bidder, but underscores government’s failure to regulate prices on houses and shops across Nigeria.
At Garki Area 10, Mrs. Evelyn Kir said: “I run this business with my husband. He drives me here with the car every day, before going to his corporate job. I sell from the trunk of the car and it has been good business, apart from disturbances by the AEPB.
“There is no kind of food we cannot provide. Some bigmen (Ogas) buy food from us, instead of going to five-star hotels. Our food is cheaper and organic. It is also easy to close up when we see AEPB agents approaching.”
Dr. Peter Olumiji is Secretary, Command and Control Centre, FCTA Department of Security. He is also involved in the “Operation Sweep Abuja” initiative. It aims to address security threats and environmental nuisances in the FCT.
He told Daily Sun during one of the raids: “We have it on good security reports that most of these people are not what people think they are. Abuja has places mapped out for such businesses. But nowadays people float different things while blaming the harsh economy.
“We travel to other countries of the world. When we come back, we commend efforts made to beautify such smart cities. But we fail to replicate such in our own country.”
Olumiji is also Field Coordinator, FCT Special Ministerial Committee on Transportation and Public Nuisance, noted: “Mobile food trucks and cars are becoming increasingly popular, particularly at a dedicated food truck park called Truck Central located in the Central Area, which features a variety of trucks and cars offering diverse meals and drinks, making it a popular spot for criminals.”
As of the time of this story, Director, AEPB, Osilama Braimah, failed to comment on the matter, emphasising that directors are banned by the minister from speaking to the media
