Nigerian Businesses Contemplate What They Lost During Protest

Big-time traders and those managing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), as well as transporters in states where the #EndBadGovernance protest took place, are counting their losses

By Our Reporters

Fri, 9 Aug 2024 6:13:27 WAT

Big-time traders and those managing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), as well as transporters in states where the #EndBadGovernance protest took place, are counting their losses, Daily Trust reports.

Violent demonstrations which accompanied the protest across the nation since August 1, have led to the imposition of curfew in some states to tame the activities of hoodlums that hid under the protest to loot.

The development also led to restriction of movement and closure of business premises.

Though the curfew has been relaxed in some states, many of those who spoke to our correspondents said they lost huge fortunes during the siege on their businesses by thieves.

Others said they lost revenue because they were forced to close their shops for fear of hoodlums who went about attacking businesses.

Transporters also spoke of the grounding of their activities due to fear of being attacked, or simply because there were no passengers.

Over N5bn worth of goods looted – Barakat Stores owners

The most pronounced private properties looted and vandalised in Kano include the retail outlets of Barakat Stores and Rufaidah Yoghurt.

Speaking on their experience, Barakat Stores’ General Manager, Muhammad Sani, popularly known as Alhaji Karami, said an estimated N5 billion worth of goods and properties have so far been destroyed.

“We have branches at Lodge Road, Korau Road and Rijiyar Zaki; then our warehouse inside Garba AD House, just beside the Government House. We share the same fence.

“On that day (August 1), I, alongside some of our supervisors, spent the night dispatching security operatives across the branches up till around 7am. When I went home to rest, my wife woke me up and told me that there is a problem with our store.

“Before I arrived, the store had been ravaged and looted.

“What we lost is estimated at between N4.5 billion and N5 billion, and it may even be higher. We have expensive things there. We have two containers from China, two and half containers from Turkey that came less than two months ago.

“About 1,000 cartons of vegetable oil were looted also. We did not even pay for it. We were billed to pay up later. There are other goods we brought from Lagos; about 30 vans.

“We have our distribution van, a Mitsubishi which we bought about two months ago at N15 million, they burnt it down,” he said.

He added that while security operatives had recovered some of the stolen items like flour, pieces of noodles, oil, among others, “We are trying to get the full estimate of the recovered items. We are currently using a rented store to compile that.

“We have written our reports and sent to the government and security operatives.

“On our part, we have forged ahead and business continues, but currently, we have over 300 Staff in our three branches and most of them are off duty. They are jobless because of what happened,” he said.

Ibrahim Bello Bayero, another property owner said: “They (miscreants) broke into my pharmaceutical shop at Court Road and stole two deep freezers and some medicines.”

He said his car valued at N3.5 million was burnt down at the Audu Bako Secretariat.

A Rufaidah Yoghurt plaza at Hotoro, Maiduguri Road, was also vandalised and looted by hoodlums.

However, efforts to speak with the owners or managers were not successful.

The 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, said intelligence failure led to the attacks on public and private properties in the state during the #EndBadGovernance protest.

The emir, who spoke when he paid a visit to the Kano Printing Press, the NCC Digital Industrial Park and Barakat Stores, said the security agents were notified of the plans for the attacks on some of the properties days before the incidents.

He said, “Kano was billed to be destroyed but we pray that God will not let them succeed. May God return all that was lost; we can only pray.”

The Commissioner, Ministry of Science, Technology and ICT, Muhammad Tajo Othman, said the state government has the assurance of the federal government to restore the building.

The Kano State government’s Printing Press, which was also vandalised was established in 1938, and had been serving the state over the years.

The NCC centre was billed for commissioning but everything has been looted.

Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, who is the spokesman of Governor Abba Kabiru Yusuf, said a commission of enquiry will soon be set up by the government to investigate the incidents.

“A workable solution will soon be charted so that the government can intervene,” he said.

The chairman of Singer Market Traders Association, Alhaji Junaidu Muhammad Zakari, said small business owners and service providers have lost huge sums of money to the hunger protest.

The market, which was closed since the commencement of the protest, remained under lock and key until Tuesday.

Traders like Abdullahi Ismail, Habibu Yusuf and Jamil Harisu, said though the market was not looted, traders lost income from the closure of their businesses.

“For almost five days, nothing was happening and this meant a lot of loss to all of us,” he said.

Singer is the wholesale market for rice, sugar, flour, noodles and other food items in Kano City. It attracts customers from within and outside Nigeria daily.

Similarly, business activities at Dawanau Grains Market, located in Dawakin Tofa LGA, were at a standstill for days.

The president of the market association, Alhaji Muntaka Isa, told newsmen on Monday that 800 security men were deployed to secure the market against theft.

He said hoodlums from neighboring ‘Mil Tara’, Bachirawa and Rijiyar Lemo had attempted to loot shops in the market but were prevented by the vigilance of the security men deployed, including 400 vigilante members.

Our supplies were cut – Borno, Yobe traders

Traders in Borno and Yobe states said the protest had cut off their supplies from Kano and Jos, in addition to the losses incurred on the first day of the protest and during the curfew.

At the Monday Market in Maiduguri, which typically bustles with crowds of buyers from different parts of the state and beyond the borders with Niger, Chad and Cameroon, dealers, wholesalers and traders said they suffered from the disturbing incidents.

Malam Bashir Bakura, a dealer of various commodities, said he was grateful to God that no looting took place in the market, but said the losses for not transacting for two days were immeasurable.

“In a day, I make sales of nothing less than N30 million. Some would make up to N100 million or even higher, but we were forced out of the business by the protesters. But we thank God they didn’t invade the market. But, our goods were also trapped in Kano,” he said.

Garba Bunu, an interstate transporter, lamented that the curfew affected his business, citing low patronage.

“My vehicles were packed for three days, which is a big loss to me. Things are difficult for us, but Insha Allah, we will survive it,” he said.

In Yobe, business activities have returned to Damaturu, the state capital, unlike in Potiskum and Nguru towns where the protesters looted shops leading to the imposition of curfew.

Also, traders in the state capital complained about a decline in sales and supplies.

Abare Balume, a trader at Damaturu Main Market, said many people refused to open their businesses even after the protest.

“Curfew has been lifted but many traders refused to fully open their businesses for the fear of the unknown,” he said.

Another trader, Alhaji Bukar, said his consignments were trapped in Jos, and prayed for normalcy to return.

Huge losses suffered in Gombe

A trader, Alhaji Sani Muhammad Yawale, said the closure of the Gombe main market during the protests led to significant losses.

He said before the protests, he was making over N1 million in sales daily.

He added that there was still an atmosphere of uncertainty in the market because many traders have refused to reopen their shops for fear of another attack by hoodlums.

Najib Ishaq Saleh, a shop owner at the Gombe Old Market, said he used to make sales of between N200,000 to N300,000 a day, but since the protests began, the business had stopped.

Businesses slowed in Lagos

Also, commercial vehicle operators in Lagos lamented a decline in patronage since the commencement of the protest.

One of the leaders at Ojota Motor Park, which is close to Freedom Park, one of the venues of the protest, said patronage had declined.

“We are hoping that full life will resume after the 10th day. This is because, even though not much is happening around the protest, people are still sceptical to move around,” he said.

We lost a lot of income in Kwara

In Kwara State, a cement distributor, Mrs Latifat Abdullahi, said though there was no serious security breach in the state, cement manufacturers stopped their trucks from going to the state.

“Our business was grounded and money is not coming in. We lost a lot in terms of income,” she said.

‘We were caged in Jos’

Jamilu Kabiru, who sells electrical equipment in Jos, the Plateau State capital, said they were negatively impacted by the protest.

“The protests have disrupted the supply chain, making it difficult for us to restock our shops. We could not bring goods from Lagos because owners of heavy trucks were afraid to drive on the roads. This is really a set back to the business,” he said.

Ibrahim Aliyu, a phone seller and repairer, said it was tough because the curfew imposed on Jos and Bukuru grounded everything.

“We were caged, honestly,” he said. “May we not see this kind of protest again,” he added.

Shortage of bread, others in Kaduna

Businessmen in Kaduna have also been counting their losses.

This is just as scarcity of bread, rice and other essential commodities hit communities as many shops were closed and the few that were open ran out of stock following the curfew imposed by the state government to curtail the escalation of violence.

A provision shop owner in Kadaure area of Kaduna, Aisha Musa, said she was forced to close her shop because many people came looking for goods that she did not have.

“Since the protest started on Thursday, I have been unable to go to the market to re-stock my shop for fear of being lynched,” she said.

Curfew relaxed in northern states

Eight northern states that had imposed curfew when the #EndBadGovernance protests degenerated into violence have now relaxed the restriction due to improved security conditions.

The Kano State government has modified its 24-hour curfew to 12-hours –  from 6pm to 6am.

In Bauchi State, the 24-hour curfew in Azare, Katagum LGA, has also been adjusted to a 12-hour restriction.

The Borno State government has completely lifted the movement restriction that was previously imposed following various security incidents, including protests, IED explosions, and culpable homicide.

Katsina State has eased the 24-hour curfew in Dutsinma LGA to 12 hours, from 7pm to 7am, similar to the rest of the state.

Jigawa State has fully lifted the 24-hour curfew in 19 local government areas and reduced it in eight others. In Babura, Birnin Kudu, Dutse, Gumel, Hadejia, Kazaure, Kiyawa and Roni LGAs, the curfew now runs from 6pm to 5am.

The Plateau State Government has also relaxed the 24-hour curfew in Jos-Bukuru metropolis. Residents can move freely between 12noon and 6pm daily.

Kaduna’s 24-hour restriction of movement has also been eased. After a review of the security situation in Kaduna and Zaria towns and environs, the state’s security council relaxed the curfew, allowing movement between 8am and 6pm.

In Yobe State, the 24-hour curfew in Potiskum, Gashua and Nguru LGAs has also been relaxed.

By Ahmad Datti, Salim Umar Ibrahim (Kano), Olatunji Omirin (Maiduguri), Habibu Idris Gimba (Damaturu), Rabilu Abubakar (Gombe), Abdullateef Aliyu and Dotun Omisakin (Lagos), Mumini Abdulkareem (Ilorin), Ado Abubakar Musa (Jos) & Maryam Ahmadu-Suka (Kaduna)