Rebuilding Lives: The Resilience of Maiduguri’s Monday Market Traders in the Face of Adversity

At around 4:00 p.m. on October 10, the fading sunlight cast a sombre glow over Ike Achialo’s small kiosk. The deep lines on his worn face seemed to hold a multitude of untold stories as he sat quietly in the corner, his eyes scanning the passing crowd with a mix of hope and desperation, waiting for customers who seemed increasingly unlikely to appear.

With a warm smile, Achialo, the Chairman of the Igbo Monday Market Traders Association in Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, North East Nigeria, offered this reporter a seat.

Once a thriving textile businessman, Achialo’s fortunes had taken a drastic turn with barely ten items stocked in his store.

What happened?

On February 26, 2023, a devastating fire swept through the Maiduguri Monday Market, destroying Achialo’s shop and over 13,000 others. While no lives were lost, the blaze resulted in billions of naira in damages, leaving traders like Achialo stranded and approximately at least 20,000 business owners suddenly unemployed.

The fire broke out around 2:30 a.m., prompting many residents to rush to the market in an attempt to contain the inferno that razed numerous shops. The cause of the fire remains unknown to date.

When news of the fire reached Achialo, he rushed to the market on foot, as no vehicles were available at that early hour. Upon arrival, his worst fears were confirmed. His entire stock had been engulfed in flames.

“Nothing was recovered from the fire, absolutely nothing,” he recalled, his voice laced with grief. “All my textiles and wrappers went with the flames.”

The aftermath of the incident brought severe hardship to Achialo’s family. Deprived of their main source of income, they had to relocate from a comfortable rented apartment to a cramped shared public compound. His children were transferred from a private school to a government-owned facility to reduce his expenses on their education.

“Now, I live in a public compound, based on the economic situation, we are into austerity measures,” he explained. “Scarcity of money, scarcity of food, and the children have to go to school. So, the only way out is to withdraw them from private schools to government schools.”

Borno’s revenue suffers blow

Maiduguri Monday Market serves as a vital commercial hub for all 27 local government areas of Borno. It is also a key trading centre for neighbouring countries, including Chad, Sudan, Niger, and Cameroon.

The outbreak not only destroyed thousands of shops but also dealt a severe blow to Borno State’s finances. It led to a significant decline in the state’s revenue.

According to the state government, the total recurrent revenue performance in the first quarter of 2023 was low and officials attributed this to the fire outbreaks in major markets in the state, including Monday Market.

While Governor Babagana Zulum announced a N1 billion relief package to cushion the effects of the disaster on the traders, the once-thriving market remains barely patronized as most business owners are still struggling to recover.

Achialo, for instance, now sells small food items, such as palm oil, due to insufficient capital to continue his previous textile business.

More traders count losses as double tragedy hits them

Achialo’s experience was not isolated; numerous traders in the market faced equally severe losses. However, before they could catch their breath, disaster struck again: a flood swept through the market, further destroying their merchandise and pushing already struggling traders to the brink.

The flood incident which occurred on September 10 as a result of the collapse of Alau Dam submerged the city, including the Maiduguri Monday market. Over 400,000 people were affected and evacuated by the government to 36 temporary relocation sites.

Abubakar Bukar, secretary of the Youth Traders Association of Monday Market, also narrated his ordeal. Before now, he was selling women’s clothing but lost goods worth millions of naira to the flood. Today, he and his family struggle to eat two meals a day.

“We (traders) go out all day and still return home empty-handed,” Abubakar said. “Our children usually attend school daily, but due to the financial losses and property damage, they now go occasionally.”

Another trader, Helen Odi, who had acquired a loan from a corporate association to restart her business after the fire inferno destroyed her goods, suffered another setback when the flood ravaged her home.

“I was not in Maiduguri during the flood incident,” she narrated. “By the time I returned, water had taken away all my properties, even my television. I had no option but to rent a new apartment with the loan I collected for my business. It has been a struggle; I had to collect another to invest in my business.”

Although Achialo and Bukar said they received palliatives from the state government, Odi said that she has not received anything yet.

Like Odi, Chukwuemeka Obasi, a foodstuff seller who also acquired a loan to restock his shop after the fire, said the recent flood destroyed all his goods.

“I lost about N26 million earlier because six of my shops were burnt to ashes. I am currently in debt; it’s a struggle for me and my family to even feed,” he told Campus Reporter. He is also yet to receive financial support from the government. Similarly, B’bana Mohammed, a trader who lost his shop in the devastating fire, temporarily operates from a friend’s store.

Despite their struggles, the traders remain determined to bounce back, optimistic that their economic situation will soon improve.

This story was funded by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) through its Empower Women in Media Cohort Project.