Vincent Nwoka, a phone accessories seller at the Molete area of Ibadan, Oyo Stated, has lamented the effect of the bad economy on his business as he no longer makes profit as he did before. He said he left Lagos for Ibadan because of the difficulty of doing business there.
Nwoka, who spoke in Pidgin English, told Saturday Tribune that the steady increase of prices in the market had ripple effect on business.
“Market dey but market don cost because no be how you buy am yesterday na him you go buy am today. For instance, if you buy something at N1000 yesterday, if you go back today na N2000 or N2500 you go buy am. Na everyday market dey change money, though people still buy our market, gain no dey like before again.”
Nwoka who was doing his business in Lagos, moved to Ibadan two years ago for ease of business. He said he had to leave Lagos because they were made to pay some fee at every bus stop they went to for business.
“I don dey do this business since, I was in Lagos before I came Ibadan two years ago. Reason why I leave Lagos plenty, one of them na ticket. At every bus stop, we must pay for ticket and them bin dey disturb us well well,” he said.
The Ebonyi State-born man said he moved to Lagos initially to serve under his brother and learn the trade but had to leave halfway to set up his own business because his boss who was also his brother did not pay him.
“When I dey Lagos, na my brother I dey with. I served my oga, but after him no settle me well I go buy these things for myself. I served am for three years but he no give me anything so I come decide to start something on my own.”
He said since he moved to Ibadan, business has been seamless as no tax force or anyone disturbs them where they run their business even when he had a competitor beside him and he is just after making sales.
“Since I come back here, nobody dey disturb us about anything. We dey do our business freely and I’m comfortable here. We are two selling the same thing here, but my brother travelled na why you no see am be that and me, I just dey after making my sales that’s all.”
Speaking on how his business fared during the cash scarcity, Nwoka said he accepted transfers from those who came without their ATM cards but asked those who had to make their payments through the POS.
“Na transfer I dey collect. If you wan buy na transfer you go do if you no get ATM card. But if you get ATM, you go use POS send me the money. That na how I run am,” he said.
In the face of the increasingly hash economy, he is still hopeful that his small business will thrive and he would rent a shop to expand the business.
“I dey pray and hope sey the business go grows so that I fit get shop for here in Ibadan make I expand the business.
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