2 Days Market Closure Cost Us A Fortune..Lagos Traders

Lagos traders, on Thursday, said they lost several millions of naira to the two-day closure of markets in honour of the late Alhaja Abibat Mogaji, the Iyaloja-General of Lagos State.

They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the closure cost them a lot in anticipated profits.

Mrs Beatrice Nzelu, a crayfish seller at Oyingbo market, said she used to make N10, 000 sales daily, but lost N20, 000 to the two days the market was closed.

Mrs Iwuoha Ada, who sells vegetable at the same market, said that she had to refund money to two customers because she could not provide them the required fresh goods.

Ada said that the market closure cost her N50, 000.Mr Mustapha Ogunkoya, a distributor of salad ingredients at Mile 12 market, said that fresh items worth about N200, 000 which he ordered for went bad.

“I never knew that there would be market closure for two days and that it would come this soon.

 “It is true that if someone in the market dies, the other traders conduct mourning session, but notice should have been given earlier.

“If I alone can lose this amount of money, then all the traders in markets in Lagos would have lost millions of naira,” Ogunkoya said.

Mrs Esther Agbo, a fish seller at Mile 12 market, said that all her wares were thrown away by the local government officials on Monday.

“All my wares were thrown into the sand and I became a laughing stock; even when the market re-opened, I was at home because there was nothing to sell.

Mrs Rofiatu Amusan, a representative of the Association of Market Men and Women, Mile 12 branch, however, said that the late Mogaji deserved the honour.