as they navigate a risky environment. A story of struggle and perseverance unravels as market women such as Mrs. Blessing Iqwo, a tomato and pepper seller, deal with these challenges.• ‘If you don’t pay, they snatch your goods, destroy some’
Unfortunately, she eventually suffered miscarriage, and the hospital attributed it to a toilet-borne infection. Her ordeal highlights the dire consequences of inadequate infrastructure, despite multiple – and even parallel levies enforced by thugs, which only stopped recently – with repercussions extending beyond her tragedy to affect countless others.
“Before now, we used to pay up to N700 daily, and on Saturdays, we pay up to N1,600 to different groups but since January, we started paying N200 daily while on Saturdays, we pay N400,” the trader continued, pointing out that illegal levies by non-state actors only stopped at the beginning of this year.
The councils claimed they collect N50 daily while taxing N200 weekly. Contrary to that claim, our investigation – based on interviews and receipts cited by reporter – revealed that the traders still pay at least N200 daily and N500 on Saturdays. In Ikom and Akpabuyo, the situation is similar to what traders are experiencing in other markets, though slightly different in the pattern of collection.
Despite the burden of multiple taxes these market women bear, they complain of having to contend with poor hygiene and wonder where the taxes they pay go. Ekanem is not alone. Anietie Idongesit, who sells clothes at the Marian Market, almost closed down owing to the stench coming from the heap of waste.
“Some days, I make N1,000 gain, some days N1,500 or N2,000,” said a Watt Market vegetable seller, Grace Ambai.“But every day, we pay up to N800 or N1,000 to different people for sanitation, security, local government, community, and space.” Ojong’s neighbour, Anita Agbo, who sells fairly used clothes, said she fears her business might close anytime soon due to the multiple payments.
“The local government is in charge of sanitation in the markets and the environment around the market. What we collect from women is N50 a day; N25 is for cleaning the market and N25 for toll. Then for Saturday, only N200; it’s not up to N500. He said he and his colleagues were beaten by illegal collection agents who the government has not been able to stop.
Itorok alleged that the government has used these illegal taxes to pay off individuals he described as political jobbers. Oluwatoyin Oboh is an educationist, parenting and family coach. She holds a Masters’ degree in Business Administration from Ambrose Alli Univ
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