Aside serving their primary purpose of lightening up the surroundings and adding to the aesthetic ambience, the bright streetlights lining the median along the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Road, Lagos, are also providing an opportunity for some quick-witted vendors to do brisk business in the night. The commercial activities, which range from sales of second hand clothes and footwear to food, drinks and even fruits and vegetables, seem to have increased in recent times.
He said: “In developed countries, buying and selling is not done on the median, even at night. This is the road leading to the international airport, which is the gateway to the country. The median of the road is meant for pedestrians and commuters, who are waiting to board buses to their various destinations and not for trading.”
One of the food vendors, Mrs. Kafayat Yusuf, said the economic hardship in the country is responsible for the development, as many people that cannot afford shops are converting the median into makeshift stalls.