Trade Fair Market Protest
There’s tension at Trade Fair Market, Lagos, as traders staged a peaceful protest over what they described as “killer shop rents.”
Many of them lamented that shops they paid ₦3OOk–₦5OOk last year have now jumped to ₦1 milli0n, while others that cost ₦5OOk–₦7OOk are now over ₦2 milli0n.
One woman shouted in tears: “How do they expect us to survive? I feed my family from this small shop. If rent continues like this, we will close down and our children will suffer!”
Another trader said: “We are not criminals, we are just hustling to make ends meet. Every month they increase rent as if we are printing money.”
The protesters are calling on the market union and the Lagos State Government to save them before the situation gets out of control.
They also warned that if nothing is done, frustration may push people to the wall, and it could lead to breakdown of law and order in the market.
