Business activities still at low ebb in Abuja, environs

Two weeks into 2020, business activities remain at low levels, while some markets, business ventures, and malls have been closed since the Yuletide and New Year festivities in Abuja, and its environs.

Similarly, many of the workers in the ministries, departments and agencies were yet to resume duty, as many of the offices were empty.

Furthermore, vehicular and human traffic in the metropolis, including Area One, Wuse, Karmo, Utako, Jabi, Garki, Apo, Lokogoma, Lugbe, Nyanya, Orozo, Mararaba, Mpape, and many others, remain low compared to previous festive periods.

A trader, Yusuf Adamu, told The Guardian that since the beginning of the year sales have been very low because those who travelled for Christmas were yet to return to Abuja.

Adamu also cited economic hardship as another factor affecting people’s purchasing power, adding that a lot of parents are still struggling to raise funds to pay school fees for their children and wards.

Also speaking, Charles Ogwu, a taxi driver, said he normally makes between N3,000 and N5,000 daily, but it has been difficult to realise this much since he came back from the holidays.

Due to the mass exodus of people from Abuja, prices of goods and services are now stable compared to the periods just before the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

At the popular Wuse, and Nyanya markets that usually witnessed heavy traffic, only a few shop owners and customers were seen engaged in activities.

Another trader, Stephen Yakubu, who deals on second-hand clothing, told The Guardian that he was not surprised by the lull in the market, as this was usually the case in the first few months of the year, due to cash crunch.

He added that activities would pick up again, once businesses fully resume.