Wholesalers decry ban on offload of trailers at Bauchi central market
By Najib Sani, Bauchi
Wholesalers at the Bauchi central market have decried the order by the Bauchi state Road Transport Agency (BAROTA) preventing them from off-loading their commodities brought by trailers in a day time.
Speaking with journalists, the traders lamented that the agency instructed that trailers should only be off-loaded in the night fearing that their goods will not be safe if they are dumped at night.
Some of the affected wholesalers who expressed dismay on the new order Malam Ibrahim Arab, Alhaji Khalid Yusuf and Abdulrashid Mai dalan Zaranda who is an ex auditor of the market association revealed that the market opens at 8am and closes at 6pm pointing out that it is inconvenient for them to download the trailers at night.
“If we off-load our commodities at night, they will be dumped outside the market as it closes at 6pm. So, we are afraid that the commodities can be stolen.
“If we don’t want it to be stolen, then we must engage the services of guards that will be looking after them. This will be a burden to us”.
“Moreover, during rainy seasons, our commodities can be drenched. In fact, this order is unfavorable to us and we want the government to reconsider it”. They said.
They therefore appealed to the agency to allow them to off-load their commodities from 6am to 12 pm asking the state government to also provide befitting parking spaces at the market to decongest it.
When contacted, the chairman BAROTA Air Commodore Tijjani Gamawa clarified that the order was in view of the serious traffic congestion caused by trailers and lorries at the market.
According to him, before the decision was taken, the agency and state government had met with the leadership of the market and the executives of the Bauchi state market traders and artisans association who unanimously endorsed it.
Gamawa added that aside the trailers, the agency has prohibited commercial drivers using the market as a park to pick and drop passengers.
The chairman further stated that the move was aimed at addressing accidents and insecurity.
