“When I close now, I will trek from here to Palmgrove. I will trek come, and I will trek go na so so trek trek everyday,” A cold room owner (name withheld) in Lagos narrated her ordeal commuting daily from her residence in Palmgrove to her business in Bariga, Lagos.
The Coronavirus lockdown, which went into effect on March 30th in three states, meant a stop to all businesses and offices with exemptions to healthcare, food businesses, amongst others. Despite this directive, some companies outside of those listed continue with regular business as usual in local governments within Lagos State.
Michael Adebayo does business as an Electrical Engineer in Lagos but resides in Ogun State. Following the lockdown, interstate travel had curtailed as parts of efforts to stop the spread of the virus. For Michael, he laments that the directive has since put sales at an abrupt halt.
“My office is located on an estate in Lagos. Someone cannot even travel, and even if I could, I can’t go and open my office and start operating machines. My office is within an estate, and since residents of the estate are around, if they hear any noise, they would call the Estate Marshall immediately, and shut down the office.”
Even as working citizens are forced to rely on their savings, some others can barely boast of any consistent income talk less of savings
Uzoamaka Diana, who is a businesswoman in Lagos, suffers the fate of unreliable income earners. As of now, she can only reach out to customers through online messaging platforms, and even this, she says, has not been effective.
“I send messages to them (her customers), but it is only when I call, they respond. My income is not consistent, like salary earners. Even the small money has almost finished. It’s only when I sell that I get money. Though some people are saying, this lockdown is good because people would not be going to obodo oyibo (overseas) for treatment anymore, seeing that the government has started building hospitals.”
Ifeanyi Luke shares a different opinion. He owns a pharmacy store and has continued to make sales because the health centres are allowed to operate.
He explained that the lockdown had affected many Nigerians though it has been different for him as he continues to make sales.
“Nigerians have always been hungry, but more people would go hungry during this period. There is not even any palliative. How long will people depend on the little they have saved? What of the people who go out for their daily meals? I have even had to spend more now that we are all at home. I thank God for my pharmacy store. It is what has been helping my family and me.”
The next few weeks look bleaker. A new directive was announced by the president extending the lockdown across three states, including Lagos What remains is how long Nigerians would comply with a directive that is supposed to save lives, but hampers the means of livelihood of its citizens.
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