Jos picks up after crisis

With rising temperature, endless stretches of vehicle at filling stations, choking traffic hold-ups and long distance trekking by determined but frustrated business persons, a returnee to Jos might be forgiven for thinking he was in another town.

Yet, the recent crisis has left a deep scar in the once serene city. With the most popular means of transportation, commercial motorcycles, banned in the immediate aftermath of the crisis, a macro-distortion has hit the economy.

Although residents have been sighing in suppressed disapproval of the ban, the memories of the bloodbath and the complicity of mostly young operators of motorcycles in the crisis forced most traders to take the development with equanimity.

However, the ban has created immediate unemployment for thousands of youth - and this itself may worsen the crime profile in the state in the days ahead.

Apart from depleted man-hours - no thanks to the 12-hour curfew- the daily per capita income has shrunk as long distance trekking affects productivity and leaves little time to attend to businesses.

Transportation cost has gone up. The subsisting fuel scarcity, which helped to end the crisis, has also transformed into a nightmare. A four liter keg of fuel goes for N700 - N800. With the commercial motorcyclist off the road, there are more passengers than there are commercial vehicles along all routes.

Accordingly, transportation costs along established routes between Jos - Bukuru metropolis have been hiked by between 20 - 40 per cent of the pre-crisis figure, when competition from bikes used to keep taxis idle during non-peak hours.

Taking taxi drop was not that popular in Jos before the crisis. In the new and emerging economy, taxi drivers are beginning to recapture old losses as people combine to charter a vehicle along specific routes.

The frustration of fuelling and mobility has also given sharp relevance of neighbourhood markets. This, itself is coming at a time the state government is embarking on a market decentralisation programme, as part of mechanism to check the incidence of casualties from stampede associated with crowded areas whenever a crisis breaks out.

Residents of different neighbourhoods have now realised why they have to patronise their community markets. This has created price distortion within the city. For instance, while a basket of tomatoes in Abuja market sells for as much as N1500, the same goes for N1200 - N1300 at the Gada Biu market. A kilo of meat at abattoir goes for N350 - N400 while it sells at N500 at terminus and Gada Biu markets respectively.

There is a sharp drop in the trend of hawking, since the sound of gunshots faded last week. While the indigenous Miango women used to hawk farm produce like garden egg, carrot, yam, pepper and onions, the Hausa used to compete with groundnuts, kolanut, cooked rice and spaghetti with stew, and local salad. Residents of different parts of Jos have reported a noticeable drop in hawking activities, even of Hausa men who were water vendors, shoe cleaners or local pedicure specialists.

In the aftermath of the riots, the use of charcoal has gained more acceptance. The Charwal coal market, along Tafawa Balewa Way, attracts shoppers of all classes.

The hospitality subsector arguably suffered more than any business. In fact, since November, 2008 where a similar crisis occurred, the hospitality industry in Jos has been the hardest hit. Hotels have had to lay off staff due to low patronage. A year-long curfew and tourist scare have sent most of the operators into new lines of business. As it is, the curfew in Jos is two-layered. The one in force since 2008 was yet to be vacated, before a fresh one came in January 17, 2010.

But it is not all bad. Against official regulation against alcohol consumption between early hours and 4pm, patrons do it to beat the curfew. In some places, men and women begin toasting of glasses as early as 2pm and certain beer brands are still out of stock in most places.

Markets as indicators

For good or bad, two major markets in Jos will remain critical to how fast the local economy recovers in the days ahead. One is the Bukuru metropolis market.

Popular as a weekend (Saturday) market, it is about the oldest. Popular as a farm produce and livestock market, it suffered the worst form of arson and devastation two weeks ago.

At press time, the traders there are still stranded and desperate. The market has also been a crucial internal revenue source for Jos South Local Government Council, which, by this distortion, is losing millions daily in internally generated revenue.

Apart from the traders, the market will take time to come alive. It will have to be rebuilt.

The other market is the Katako market in Jos North and located north of the famous terminus main market, which has been in a state near-inactivity since it was burnt in March 2002.

Although popular as a source of timber and other wood varieties, foodstuffs are sold here too; and wooden lorry body construction engineers have their base here.

But the Katako is mostly known as the second largest market in the north central region of Nigeria.

The market was safe from inferno and looting in the latest crisis of last month; as opposed to the previous one. But patronage has dropped sharply; and unless by some ingenuity the traders mount a restoration campaign or move out to meet customers in a neutral location, it will remain so for some time. The reason is the suspicion, distrust, and fear that still lurk among residents of the city.

The auto market is largely intact. Zaria Road and Zaria Bye-Pass, homes of the largest used cars and trucks market in Jos, were spared the carnage this time. The auto markets along Yakubu Gowon Way (Bukuru Road), themselves a development from past crises that turned Zaria Road auto dealers to hypertensive patients, also survived.

House rents have gone up - depending on the location, despite the fact that thousands of people departed the state in the wake of the crisis. Distrust and fear have forged a new settlement pattern girded by faith. Investigations at Rantiya and Bukuru low cost indicated that a two bedroom flat now goes for N140,000 to N150,000 a year, up from N100,000. Estate agents said they were yet to get inquiries for Muslim neighbourhoods.