Lagos Traders Lament 3 Days Of Markets’ Closure For Tinubu’s Late Mum

Trading activities resumed on Thursday morning at various markets in Lagos State after they were under locks and keys for three days in honour of late Abibatu Mogaji. Since on Monday, the markets were shut down to mourn the late market leader who died last week Saturday.

At some major markets visited on Thursday by one of our reporters, there were heavy human traffics in the markets. Our reporter who visited Ketu market disclosed that many people trooped into the market for trading activities.

Some of the traders who spoke to Aproko247 expressed dissatisfaction with the order given by the leadership of the market associations in Lagos to shut down the markets. They lamented that a lot of money were lost during the closure.

“We lost a lot of money due to the markets’ closure,” one of the traders at Ketu market complained to Aproko247. Another trader noted that, “at the end of the day, we would still be forced to contribute both money and our wares towards the burial of the late market leader in Lagos.”

One of the people that was at the market to buy some foodstuffs at the market, who simply identified herself as Mrs Babajide, told Aproko247 that, “this is really unconstitutional. How can you ground peoples’ source of living just because of the death of just one person?”

“They shouldn’t have forced traders to lock their shops and even if they would do, locking up markets for three days is just too much. Nigeria was not grounded when late Yar’Adua died in 2010,” Mrs Babajide added.

However, the traders were enthusiastic that the markets have been reopened and trading activities restored. It was the same at Kontagora Market at Abule-Egba as well as Balogun Market on Lagos Island.

Late Mogaji died on Saturday evening at her Ikeja residence in Lagos. She was aged 94. Late Mogaji was the President of Market Men and Women in Lagos and also the acclaimed mother of ex-Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu.