Wuse Market Closure: Traders Reveal Cause Of COVID-19 Violations

Traders at Wuse Market have bemoaned closure of the popular market in Abuja by officials of the Federal Capital Territory COVID-19 Task Force on Tuesday, with many of them blaming the market management for the development.

A mobile court presided over by Magistrate Idayat Akanni had ordered that Wuse Market, UTC Shopping Complex and Murg Plaza be shut down for three days from Monday midnight over flagrant disregard for COVID-19 rules.

President Muhammadu Buhari had signed the COVID-19 Health Protection Regulations Act, 2021, which forbids people from entering market premises, malls, supermarkets, restaurants, and hotels, amongst others, without “using a face mask and has washed hands.”

THE WHISTLER spoke to some traders who were locked out of the market as a result of enforcement of the court order by security agents.

‘Give Us Second Chance’

Some of the traders blamed the non-compliance to the COVID-19 protocols on failure by officials of the Abuja Markets Management Ltd (AMML) and the Abuja traders’ union to enforce the guidelines.

Valentine Uchechukwu, who deals in communications gadgets, said: “The major problem we are having in this market is that the executives of the market are not working at all.

“The last sensitization they did was during the lockdown. They haven’t done any one again. Also, all those places that they mapped for washing hand facilities are not working at all. The tanks are all empty, no soap, no water. And the reason why I said the executives are not working is that we’ve drawn their attention that each line (block of shops) is supposed have a representative that should be reporting to the executives when the regulations are not being adhered to or not.”

Uchechukwu said people coming into the market were fond of putting on their face masks only at the point of entry where the market officials enforce the guidelines.

“Once those coming inside the market pass the checkpoint at the entrance, you see them removing their face masks. Coming in in with it is not the issue, but putting it on throughout is the main issue.”

“My own view is that the task force should know that we have suffered so much during the lockdown. It is not only the task force that is the issue here, even the presidency should know that we have suffered. Four to five months during the lockdown was not child’s play. We lost a lot of money, goods and people in this process. So, we are pleading for second chance.

He added that, “If the executives are willing to work. We have a chairman, his name is Mr Raphael. We have thrown a lot of advice to him on what to do in this market, but we’ve seen that he’s not implementing them.”

‘We Are Suffering and Smiling’

Mrs. Ishola Bolatito, a jewelry seller, said the closure was reminiscent of the COVID-19 lockdown period when a lot of traders in the market lost money and eventually moved out of the market after the lockdown was lifted because they could not afford to renew their rents.

“What happened today is so disheartening. I see it as just pure wickedness. Because majority of us who have shops in Wuse market have not recovered from what happed last year (the lockdown). Some us even packed out; some are roaming on the streets because they don’t have anything to do.

“So, regarding what happened yesterday (arrest of violators), there has not been enforcement. If the management can enforce the rules, people will be using masks. They are not supposed to just close the market without enforcement. No notice, no nothing.

“We are suffering and smiling. Majority of us don’t even know how we are going to pay our next rent, yet the government doesn’t even have provision for business people. If the market task force could be arresting people that hawk, why can’t they enforce the COVID-19 rules?” she queried.

Bolatito said the market management enforced the COVID-19 rules for only one week after the COVID-10 lockdown was lifted last year, noting that people now “enter from the gate,” and “remove the face masks and walk around” after crossing the checkpoint

She said, “We want to beg the Federal Government to bring external task force that would be enforcing the COVID-19 rules, and not to stop our business. We’ve lost a lot last year already and many are yet to recover.

“A lot people are parking out. Immediately their rent gets due, they park out because they can’t pay the next rent. The least rent in this market is N1.5 million and my shop rent a day is about N5,000. A lot of people would not be able to fend for themselves today because of the closure, so how do they want them to feed.”

‘We Have Learnt Our Lessons’

Another trader who deals in household appliances, Michael Friday, also suggested that a separate task force should be established internally to ensure compliance to the COVID-19 protocols.

Friday, who said the traders had learnt their lessons from the current development, appealed to the Federal Government to unseal the market and allow the traders come up their own task force to check non-compliance to the guidelines.

 “I’m pleading with them, you can see that I am wearing my face mask, so my own suggestion is that the market management should create internal committee to be supervising this issue so that we within the market would have our own committee. That way anybody that doesn’t keep to these guidelines would be prosecuted.

“That’s my own advice, so that all these things will not be occurring. Because anything that happens, it is only Wuse market traders that suffer the consequences…they would come and lock up the market and people are suffering. We just came out from the lockdown and now another phase of lockdown, what do we do?

“Our rent here is running. Every day we pay rent and all manners of service charge, yet they are nor considering all these things. We feel these things seriously. So, we are appealing with them to come and open this market.  They should just give us that privilege. I heard they are locking the market down for a period of three days and may extend it if we continue the negligence, but at this moment we are pleading that we have learnt our lessons.”

Friday added that, “I’m suggesting that we should have our own COVID-19 committee among the traders or even bring an external committee that will be monitoring and enforcing the guidelines so that all these problems will not be reoccurring.”

On if the current executives are to blame for shutdown, he said: “You can’t blame the executives for what has happened because they are doing their part. For instance, when the market was closed during the lockdown, it was the executives that were running here and there to make sure that the market is opened.  So, nobody should say the executives are not working.

On if the shutdown is justifiable: “Of course, it is justified in a way, but they should look at the sufferings of the people. People are suffering and again we traders are paying for the shops here. And when you ask the landlords to remove something from the rent, the landlord will ask you if he was the one that imposed the lockdown. So, when two elephants fight, the grass bears the consequence.

‘Shutting Down the Market Is Good’

Emem Ime, who helps her mother to sell raw foodstuff at the market, said although the task force was right to have shut down the premises, said it should have formally informed the traders before closing the market.

She said, “…if that the reason for locking up the market is because of COVID-19 violations, I feel this is good. Because I usually tell my mom that COVID-19 numbers keep increasing every day and truly if you go into the markets you will see that they don’t follow the COVID-19 rules. No wearing of face masks, no use of hand sanitizers and no social distancing, but the problem here is that most of the traders here don’t even have the time to listen to the news or read newspapers, so they should have just informed them. Like for instance today my mom went to the bush market to get a lot of stuff, including perishable goods that if she doesn’t sell them today, all her money will be wasted.

On if the market executives should be blamed, Ime said: “Even when they said no face mask; no entry…most times I will have a face mask and purposely not use it just to see if they would stop me from entering, but will just enter freely. So, I usually tell my mom that I’m sure a lot of people in the market have coronavirus because the management is not strict with enforcement of the guidelines.”

Efforts by our correspondent to speak to members of the task force stationed at the Wuse Market entrance proved abortive, as they declined comments.