The city of Abuja in recent times have continued to witness the emergence of night markets mostly within the satellite towns of Lugbe, Kubwa, Nyanya, Dutse and Garki Area 1. This is due to the heavy human and vehicular traffic in these places.
Despite several attempts of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) to curb this trend, night trading in the city has continued to grow in leaps and bounds.
Occupying most pedestrian bridges, highways and major streets, these traders display products ranging from fairly used clothes, shoes, bags, earrings and accessories for customers who are returning back home from work. They do this everyday between the hours of 5:00pm to 11:00pm.
One of the traders in the market who simply gave his name as Nnamdi said he blamed the trend on the high cost of shops in the markets, shopping centres and malls within the city centre.
He said “Shops in Abuja are so expensive. I mean, if I use N450, 000 to rent a shop, where will I get money to stock the shop or will I just come and seat in an empty shop? I know it is not legal to sell here but I have to pay house rent and school fees for my kids,” he added.
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At the Lugbe Federal Housing Junction of the Abuja Municipal Area Council indicates that some of these traders and hawkers have efficiently devised a means to outsmart the operatives of the AEPB.
Another trader who craved anonymity said “we usually run with our goods when those environmental people are coming because if you wait for them, they will carry your goods to their office and that would be the end. So the best thing is to run.”
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