From Roadside to Nowhere: The Displacement of Women Traders in Kwara

Despite the sweltering sun that flashes its ray of light on Oja Oba Market in Kwara State, when our reporter visited in September, Kubra Yusuf, a pregnant lady, stood among a rowdy crowd of women running helter-skelter to pack their goods and hide them from Kwara State Road Traffic Managements (KWARTMA) officials who had come to raid the market.

While the state government had long asked traders to vacate the market areas for reconstruction, many traders remained adamant. 

”I have tried a lot but in Nigeria if you do not know anyone who is a politician, you cannot find a job. Your efforts will just be in vain and now they’re pursuing us from our business,” Yusuf told CAMPUS REPORTER.

With four children to feed, Yusuf was distraught to continue with her business after the clearance by the security agency. 

“When Oja Oba road was reconstructed, they (the government) said nobody will be able to stay at the roadside again, but people believe the place is a market and it will always be a market no matter how they tried to chase us away,” she said.

Poverty drives women to roadside market 

The harsh reality of poverty has led many women in Nigeria to turn to roadside markets as a means of survival. With limited economic opportunities and a lack of access to formal employment, these women are forced to rely on informal trading to make ends meet. The roadside markets, often characterized by makeshift stalls and uncertain incomes, become a refuge for people like Yusuf to earn a living.

For many women, roadside trading is not just a matter of economic necessity but also a way to assert their independence and contribute to their family’s well-being. Despite the challenges they face, including harassment, exploitation, and limited access to resources, these women demonstrate remarkable resilience and determination. 

Among those barred from Oja Oba market are those sponsoring themselves in different tertiary institutions and parents who struggle to pay their children fees. 

Like many women who were chased by the security forces, Yusuf disclosed that she chose to stay by the roadside to sell undies because she couldn’t get a job after graduating from the University of Ilorin.

“Honestly, as educated as I am, I am not satisfied with being by this roadside but I still thank God. Many of my school mates are still eating under their parents,” she added.

“If there is no alternative, I will carry my bag and start going to different schools’ hostels to sell my goods, but the side effect is that, during the holidays, students won’t be in school and the business will surely come to a halt,”  Yusuf told our reporter.

According to Yusuf, instead of banishing the women completely from the market, the government should soften and establish order in the market without harassing traders.

Exorbitant prices shut women out 

Yusuf is not the only one left in predicament. Another trader who simply identified herself as Laitan, said she took a loan to fund her shoe business, and she would be refunding the money everyday. “If we  have the money to secure a shop, do you think we will not go for it?”, her voice choked with sadness.

The exorbitant prices for the renting shops at Oja Oba Market prevented some women from owning a shop. “Where will I see four to seven million naira to secure the shop? Where is that money,” Laitan continued.

Laitan hoped that the Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq would consider the indigent traders. “We know he is doing his job but we still have to plead with him,  he should just draw us the line where we will be staying,” she begged.

Extortion?

Another trader, Yusuf Bashirat, told this reporter that since the incident, she couldn’t raise a dime to fend for herself. Yet, the local government has been collecting N200 revenue from her while she sells her goods at the roadside. 

“We have been unable to display our wares. There is no peace of mind,  and everything has even turned upside down and as I stand like this, I have nothing. We expect the government to build affordable shops and not chase us.”

Speaking with CAMPUS REPORTER, Abdulwasiu Mujib, a  lawyer  argued the government has control over public infrastructure. However, after giving notice, they should offer compensation to the victims of any demolition.

“Government has the right to demolish public and private places,  when the government wants to embark on a project that is of public importance,  and they will issue notice,  if the government is going to demolish the market where people have been accustomed to buying and selling and their life is tied to it,  the law says that the government should provide compensation,” he said.

Mujib added that the government should give alternatives to the previous location so that the women will continue with their business.

While efforts to reach the spokesperson of KWARTMA were abortive, a member of the task force who spoke under anonymity said he is not aware of any money collected from the women as revenue.

“Let’s clarify a myth,  the Governor didn’t disturb traders. The traders who had shops were not disturbed.  It is only those trading on the road that had issues. And it is for their own good and safety but I am not aware of the N200 revenue,” he said.