Business owners differ over effect of protests in Lagos

Business owners in Lagos are divided over the effect of the ongoing #EndBadGovernance in Nigeria protest. Food sellers in Ojota, the designated venue of the protest in Lagos, said it improved their income.

One of them, who pleaded anonymity, said: “Police officers and protesters have been coming to my canteen to eat since the protest started. Business is moving fine, and I am not negatively affected.”

A shoe seller, Emmanuel Ebuka Ijiomah, said: “I know that protests are ongoing, but my business was not disturbed because the citizens, though angry, do not want to destroy anything or disrupt businesses.

“No one is forcing people to close their shops to join the protest. Business has not been moving well, but it’s not due to the protest. Speaking also with The Guardian, a groundnut and snacks seller, Mrs Kafidat Malik, said: “The protest is not disturbing my sales, but the government’s policies and the removal of fuel subsidy are biting hard. People are dying because of hunger.”

An artisan, Ambali Mayowa, said: “The protest in Lagos has been peaceful, so it doesn’t have much effect on business, but it has restricted our movement. People have not been patronising us the way they did before the protest. It has led to low patronage. I hope to see the end of the protest soon. The protest has reduced income by 50 per cent.”

However, a trader in Mushin, Chinonso Ndidi, said: “I have been affected by the protest. I lost over N200,000 in two days.” Also, the Secretary of Ladipo auto spare parts market, Onyeka Igwe, lamented that the market lost money due to the protest.

He said: “People are not coming to the market as they used to. We have been doing our business since it started but not to maximum capacity. We lose N500 million daily due to the protest.”