Some foodstuff traders in major Federal Capital Territory (FCT) markets are lamenting the gross food decay in their stalls due to low patronage by citizens who lack naira notes for purchase.
Many traders at the popular Life camp fish market, Dutse, Wuse, and Kubwa markets in Abuja complained that large perishable goods had become stale.
A Dutse market tomatoes and pepper seller, Usman Abu, said that before the circulation of the new naira notes, he bought many goods in anticipation for good sales but has been disappointed over the low patronage.
Abu described the little or no patronage as ‘unusual’ and blamed the low sales on the lack of naira notes in circulation.
He said that overtime, customers had pleaded with him to make available his account details to enable money transfers but he said he has no phone to confirm transactions, hence the refusal.
The Tomatoes seller who gradually got agitated as he expressed his displeasure to the economic changes, pleaded with the Federal Government to return the old currency or rather readily make available the new naira notes.
A vegetable hawker, Mrs Tina Okafor in life camp fish market who had her one-year-old daughter on her back, said customers who do buy vegetables in large quantity now buy three times less than their usual purchase due to lack of enough cash.
“One of my regular customers yesterday told me to sell N500 naira Ugwu to her on credit that she will pay me N600 naira when next she comes to the market.
“Because I had barely sold anything, I was forced to give her but I know she will pay me back,” she said.
Mallam Isah, a Kubwa phase IV market fruit seller who displayed some partially spoilt fruits said that he had begun selling his fruits at discounted rate due to the slow sales.
Isah said that because his fruits no longer look fresh, buyers had refused patronizing him as he blamed the bad fruits on the lack of naira and bulk fruits he bought.
A man who pleaded anonymity in Wuse market, said he was in the market to buy foodstuff but unfortunately the cash he had at hand wouldn’t enable him buy all he hoped to get.
“This Automated Teller Machine (ATM), bank queue and lack of money at Point of Sale (POS) centers has made if difficult for everyone both the rich and poor.
“I just realised the money I brought to the market to buy soup ingredients wouldn’t be enough and now I might be unable to buy meat.
‘Is this how we want to continue in this country when we have a government?” he asked.
He pleaded with banks to make all ATMs functional to reduce bank queues, urging all financial crimes organisations to sanction banks hoarding the new naira notes.
