Rising from the fire incident that gutted their shops over a month ago, traders in the Balogun market, Lagos, are braving the odds to start life afresh. But at what cost to their safety is this being achieved' JANE CHIJIOKE warns that while this effort is commendable, unless urgent steps are taken, another disaster may be lurking in the corner.It was a devastating experience for them. Many are yet to come to terms with the reality that their investment over the years, which ran into several millions of naira, had vanished just within a few hours to the inferno that gutted their shops at the Brasas Plaza in Balogun market, Lagos, last month.Reminiscing the incident could be life threatening. Some had anticipated good sales for that day; some had just acquired new goods hoping to cash in on the fast approaching Christmas season. Some even had goods on credit that were yet to be paid for, while some also had some monies earned as proceeds from their previous day business transactions, locked up in their stores. And characteristic of most Nigerian business, majority of these traders did not take insurance policy on their wares, thus making their situation more serious. For now, they all sit back, licking the wounds from their losses.Braving the oddsBut, for the brave traders, life and business must continue. A visit to the site of the inferno, earlier in the week, showed signs of return, albeit, of trading activities to the market, though on a skeletal level. At the site, some of the victims have constructed makeshift shops, having removed the remnant of the burnt structure. They now sell the few goods they were able to salvage from the inferno. Some have been able to return to business through the benevolence of fellow traders and friends not affected by the incident.One of the affected traders who spoke with The Nation Shopping, Lawrence Eze, said it has been very difficult coping with the loss. According to him, two days after the incident, some traders paid N120, 000 to alleged park owners for them to be allotted space at the Oluwole Park, adjacent to the razed building housing their former shops.Sadly, in spite of this payment, these traders claimed they were denied space. One of the victims, who pleaded anonymity for fear of reprisal attacks, informed this reporter that the money paid for the space has now led to a tussle among some miscreants over sharing formular and as to who has the right to even collect and allocate space. Consequently, this has further compounded the woes of the already traumatised traders who appear to have been left further stranded as no positive response have been given to them.Undeterred by this additional loss, the affected traders sought another alternative. Eze noted that two other traders, including himself, were able to raise N147,000 to clear up a portion of the rubbles stacked at the affected site and put up a makeshift shop to assist themselves to sell some wares at least, for the yuletide season.Weeks after this incident, I am just resuming sales today (Monday). I am tired of staying idle.The thought alone is not good for my health. Most of us have families to cater for. Again, this is Christmas season that every trader looks forward to. I was able to secure few goods which I am selling now.We cannot even increase the price otherwise we will not sell. It has not been easy for me, I am just trying to cope with the situation I have found myself in, an obviously dejected Eze said.Read Also:Millions lost in Balogun Market fireAnother trader who identified himself simply as CJ, said he is yet to recover from the injuries sustained from the fire incident. He explained that the few goods he was able to rescue would not make much difference as they were already stained by the thick smoke that emanated from the fire. Though he made efforts to clean the wares, he is sad that such items would not fetch him good returns on his investment because they cannot be sold at a profitable margin anymore. I sell them cheaper now as customers no longer see them as new. If I can even get them sold at the cost price, I wouldnt mind, so that I can move on from this unwholesome experience, he said.For Christian Mgbeji, who lost a good sum of goods to the fire, he can only thank his friends for their assistance thus far. Mgbeji gets wares from his friends to sell at his makeshift shop and then returns the principal value of the goods after realising marginal profit on the items. He said though the state government has collected some names of the affected traders, they were yet to receive any response from the government. He called on the government to fulfil its promise to victims, especially when it is considered that they contribute significantly to commerce in the state and by extension, the states internally generated revenue (IGR).However, while some have been able to secure temporary space, others still wander around the market trying to make a living. For instance, a trader who gave his name as Ejike Collins said he has been hawking his rescued wares around the market, practically begging customers to patronise him. He said though it has been hectic for him, he had to device means to cater for himself. Besides, he revealed that he has now resorted to calling his customers to know when they need some goods.That comfort you get having your own shop is no longer felt. Now, I come to the market daily and start roaming about with clothes in my hands looking for customers to sell to. It is like I am just starting life afresh. Again, I have samples of some of my wares on my phone so I show it to customers. So when they make their choice of what item they need, I rush to bring it for them from where I manage to pack them. However, only the few patient and understanding customers would want to go through such processes to buy from you, he lamented.Another trader, Daniel Ibeku, who noted that fire protection equipment were a necessity for all traders in the affected plaza, believed that the fire incident was just fate that played out and not a result of human mistake or negligence. He said though difficult to endure his loss, he tried to put the incident behind him.In the midst of the tragedy, I am grateful to God we did not lose any member of the plaza to the fire. I have been running helter-skelter looking for means to assuage my pains. You come to the market, you see your fellow traders selling their wares and you cannot but ponder on your loss. But I thank God for friends who have been very helpful. They give us goods to sell and we take any little profit we are able to make from it, then return the money to the owners. At least it is a step I have taken hoping on God to make a way for me, he said.Ibeku explained that rather than sympathise with traders, some unscrupulous marketers are trying to take advantage of their misfortune. He explained that till date, most of them are yet to have their names on the list of the affected traders which has been submitted at the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja. He pleaded with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to do thorough investigations on the names that have been submitted.The government promised to help us but how sure are we to receive the governments sucour when it eventually comes' We have realised that there has been some shady activities by faceless people who want to use our situation to make money from government. Some names have already been submitted to the government, but the question on every ones lips is who are these people' The owners of the affected building are in the best position to give accurate names of tenants that occupied the building. If there is any list to be used, the landlords should be the ones to submit it because they know their genuine tenants. I am begging the governor to please ensure the assistance get to the rightful victims, he pleaded.Waiting for succourAccording to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) chief Nosa Okunbor, a committee has been set up to investigate the incident to know how to compensate the affected traders.Danger loomsThe Nation Shopping on visit to the two buildings adjacent to the burnt stores where traders now use temporarily observed that such portends great danger to lives and properties. This is because these structures have deep cracks all over, and may collapse if urgent steps are not taken to prevent this. However, typical of the resilient Nigerian, the traders said they are not perturbed by this as they cannot stay idle. For them, it is survival of their businesses and eking a living that is of bigger concern for them.But at what cost will this thinking by traders be achieved' Should be this be at the expense of human lives
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