Traders in Lafia Tomato Market Suffer as Bad Roads and Water Shortage Persist

Traders at the Tomato Market in Tudun Gwandara, Lafia, Nasarawa State, are complaining about poor roads and lack of basic facilities. These issues have pushed away customers and harmed their sales.

The traders say patronage has dropped by over 70 percent. Many customers now avoid the market because of the bad access road.

They are calling on the Nasarawa State Government and the Lafia Local Government to help them. They want access to clean water and better roads leading to and inside the market.

Traders reported that the number of trucks bringing goods to the market has fallen from more than 10 each day to just two or three.

Kalu Christopher, a palm oil dealer, said the market is facing serious problems because of the poor infrastructure. He mentioned that he used to get supplies twice a week but now waits over two weeks before he can make another order.

Ibrahim Dauda, a meat seller, shared that the lack of water has increased his costs. He has to buy water from vendors now. Mr Dauda spends money on about three trucks of water daily to meet his needs.

Jacob Angulu runs two provision stores at the market. He said customer visits are going down every day because the bad road makes it hard for people to get to the market.

Last month, the state government shut down the market due to poor sanitation.

Zakari Ismail, who sells groundnut oil, said his daily sales have also dropped a lot. “Customers no longer visit this market like before because of the lack of a good road,” he stated.

Mr Ismail used to make more than ₦300,000 in daily sales, but now he struggles to reach ₦50,000.

Another trader, Comfort John, who sells grains, warned that they might have to leave the market if things do not improve. “If things continue this way, we will have to close and look for an alternative market,” she said.

A customer who was seen trying to access the market on a motorcycle told PREMIUM TIMES that the road is becoming harder to use because of the rains.

PREMIUM TIMES noticed that both the road leading to the market and the market itself were flooded with rainwater, making it tough for customers and shop owners to reach the area.

The market serves middle-class households around Lafia city center and provides jobs for many traders and daily earners. Many traders work from makeshift stalls while some shop owners along the roadside have built permanent stores.