EATERIES, otherwise known as bukateria or mama put joint have begun to resurface in several parts of Lagos, particularly, Lagos Island.Inside Lagos' visit to Lagos Island, particularly Central Business District (CBD) area, showed that despite the activities of the dreaded officials of Lagos State Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), it is still business as usual as there is hardly a corner where there is no bukataria with the customers enjoying themselves.These eateries are mostly concentrated around Tinubu Square, Broad Street and the adjoining streets, and as far as Apongbon and environs.A few years ago, the state government had embraked on a crackdown exercise on the various bukatarias on the Island forcing the operators to retreat for sometime before the present resurgence.However, the mode of operation has changed. Against the usual practice of plying their trade all through the day, most of them now operate in a make- shift corner for at most three hours daily. The target time is between 12 noon and 3.00p.m. The food sellers come to a designated spot, spread the canopy and commence service. Within three hours, they are done. Surprisingly, the customers are in the know of the time arrangement. They operate in three ways. While some operate in the open with a canopy to shield the customers or balcony of buildings, others simply put the food in a wheelbarrow and sell to a cluster of people, principally traders and hawkers. The common prepared food on display include: rice, beans, eba, spaghetti, indomie, fufu and semovita, among others. Apart from those selling already prepared food, there are those who sell bean cake, otherwise known as akara, roasted plantain, fried yam and others.The customers cut across various segments of the society. While the lowly placed people come in person to eat, those higher on the ladder send their subordinates.According to Ikposa Manuwa, a computer operator on Broad Street, the bukatarias are a blessing to average citizens working on the Island.He confessed that it was quite expensive to work and feed on the Lagos Island, stating that while it would take over N1,000 to have lunch on Lagos Island at any of the exotic eateries in any part of the Island, one can conveniently spend N200 in any of the bukatarias.'These mamaputs are great a blessing to us here. Even with N100 you can fill your stomach with any of the variety you want. You need to hold about N1, 000 to go to places like Mr Biggs for lunch. Where will that money come from'' he asked.He appealed to the state government to leave the food sellers alone, stating that they were helping the ordinaryworkers to survive on the Island.One of the bukataria operators, Madam Nkechi, told Inside Lagos that apart from helping herself, she was also helping the people.She disclosed that the proceeds of the business at the end of the day were deployed to feeding her family, pay house rent and the children's school fees as her husband had been jobless for about four years.'This business is helping us. Not that we gain so much but at the end of the day we have little profit to take care of other things. Even our customers are happy and always pray for us.With as little as N100, you can feed yourself and be okay,' she said.She disclosed that since they changed their mode of operation, the harassment from government officials has reduced except street urchins popularly called area boys, stating that even the uniformed men patronize them.
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