Workers in Abuja want longer Sallah break

Activities were shut down at the usual busy offices and roads in the Federal Capital Territory on Thursday to mark the first day of the Muslim celebration of Eid-el Kabir.

Throughout the driveways, where the usual excruciating traffic had eased, motorists drove from the suburbs to the city in record time while customers haggled over rams and goats at makeshift markets.

While workers in the predominantly civil service city want a longer holiday, at least to avoid the daily rigorous traffic from the outskirts to the city centre, traders, except those at the ram markets, said the event has hardly made any difference commercially.

Business not so good

But a visit to some of the markets in Abuja revealed scanty business activities. The markets were not crowded as expected, and sellers said they had few buyers for their wares. "Instead of the event helping us, it has made people to stay back at home and we have no one to sell to," said Amma Isaac, who sells foodstuff at Karu market.

The few buyers at the markets said they had no money and the festivity gives no "excuse to get into debt". A woman who gave her name simply as Tania, and who came to the market with her two children, said she needed to pick a few items to keep her family busy.

She said: "There is no money. My husband bought ram and I am here to buy one or two things. My children will soon go back to school and that is what is more important to me."

While the traders complained of low patronage, they also had to face falling prices, especially those of food items. Aisha Sadautu, a tomato seller, said she had to reduce the price of her tomatoes from N600 per basket to N400 so she can go home and prepare for Sallah.

Except for a few items like pumpkin leaf, which now goes for N300 instead of N100, there is no remarkable change in the prices of goods in the market.

Traders who deal in clothing materials said there is no difference in sales but are optimistic that Christmas celebration will be better.

Good for transportation

But the tri-cyclists, popularly called KeKe NAPEP operators, have been having a field day. Linus Ekpe told NEXT that on a good day, he makes an average of N4000. He now goes home with an average of N6000 or N8000, thanks to the festive season.

However, the Apo mechanic village was full of activities. Traders and mechanics said business has been good since Wednesday, as more people visited to put their cars in order in preparation for the Sallah celebration, while some non-Muslims are cashing in on the public holidays to fix their auto-mobiles before work resumes on Monday.