As a commercial and industrial city, Aba in Abia State is home to many establishments and international markets, but none has the same acclaim as the Ariaria International Market.

Traders and stakeholders say the allure of the market is not just in its fame but in reality – what you cannot find in Ariaria you may not find anywhere else.

The city of Aba is noted within Nigeria and worldwide for its huge commercial activities. Apart from Ariaria, there are other huge and specialised markets like Eziukwu Cemetery Road, Ehere, Ekeoha Shopping Centre, Ngwa Road New Market, Ohabiam Electronics Market, Nsulu Textile Market, Uratta Timber Market and Alaoji Spare Parts Market.

Traders who spoke to our correspondent explained that Ariaria market is known for shoemaking and leatherwork, thus making it one of the largest in West Africa with 37,000 stalls and at least two million traders – up to three persons and their aides and apprentices share each stall.

Weekend Trust saw that sections of the modern structures being constructed to replace the existing ones, which were built in 1976, had advanced.

Many traders were said to have lost their lives due to the demolition embarked upon by the previous administration.

Relocation

The secretary of the Ariaria Market Traders Association (AMATA), Arinze Ewenike, said the current administration in the state had shown that It is investor-friendly in the way it is treating the relocation project of the market.

He said the union was hopeful that with the way the governor is handling of the relocation project so far, the issue of reconstruction, control of perennial flooding, constant electrification, access to grants and security would translate to fulfilling all his promises to the traders.

He pleaded for more government support, recalling that former President Muhammadu Buhari installed a solar-powered electricity in the market, which was commissioned by former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, but the facility packed up a few months after due to poor support facilities and maintenance.

He said the market, whichh grew rapidly because of the ingenuity of the traders who work very hard and produce virtually every item found elsewhere in the world, needed meter coverage by the current electricity provider, Geometrics, expansion and access to eastern ports, that is Onne, and the revival of the naira and the yuan-naira swap deal.

He said that of the 90 zones in the market, a particular zone involved in shoemaking have up to 200,000 traders, adding that many people started trading with as little as N10,000.

“This is a major hub for serious traders. People are making it big time by starting small and trading till they grow big, but in recent years, we have lost customers from Mali, Cameroon, Senegal to other markets due to the infrastructure challenges.

“We also pray for peace because we had encountered some violence in the past, especially when past administrations tried to enforce shop allocations at exorbitant rates.

“This is why, here, if we support a candidate he would go far in any election in the state because of the number of polling units and growing political awareness. In ward 9 here, there are over 93 polling units,” he said.

He also pleaded with Governor Alex Otti not to peg the shops at exorbitant rates as the previous administration did to avoid losing jobs and lives in the market.

Narrating the evolution of the market, an executive member of the Ariaria Market Association, Jimmy Iheanacho, said it started as a timber market before it expanded to what it is today, adding that it was a dumpsite.

“It has become a big market in Africa and has been fulfilling the need of the people.

“Items sold here are wears, leather goods, provisions, livestock, articles and building materials. We import a lot of items from China, India and Europe.

“Our senator here, Enyinnaya Abaribe, has not been seen to be encouraging the traders through grants and loans; we don’t know if he has such provisions in his constituency funds,” he said.

Poor infrastructure lowering sales – Traders

Traders said that flooding, which occurs due to the poor state of roads and drainages at the old sections of the market, epileptic electricity and internet and mobile network, were affecting sales as customers are diverting to other cities.

A trader in the market who deals in assorted wears, Evans Chibueze, who has been in the market for 30 years, having started his apprenticeship in June 1995, said although sales had dropped, they were still able to get by with their families.

He said It had been challenging to relocate, especially because of the fact that they would lose their customers. He, however, said they were willing to endure the pains involved.

“Change is constant; and we know that with time we will cope with the relocation plan.

“We want the beneficiaries of the new shops to have properly completed shops, allocation papers and flexible payment to prevent loss of lives as witnessed before. At the first time, the shops were at N4 million – you paid N3 million and the government would contribute N1 million; but now, we don’t know the rate,” he said.

He said they welcomed the remodelling as many international customers had abandoned them due to bad roads, flooding and poor facilities.

A trader who deals in traditional attire, Chinenye Ezenye, said Ariaria was a big and thriving market, adding that people who were financially broken would always survive and become big when they arrived in Aba and found themselves at Ariaria Market.

“Despite the economic hardship in the country, we are thriving. And our governor is making things easier for us through infrastructure development and market remodelling,” she said.

A trader who stocks bales of assorted garments, Mazi Tony Gabriel, said Aba became the home of people from different states due to the affordability of goods available in the city; and Ariaria Market played a huge role in that.

“Aba is a city where the common man can survive doing petty trading as long as you are not lazy. You cannot visit any place in Nigeria without seeing an Aba-born.

“Aba people obtain the right goods and materials from elsewhere and replicate the same for affordability for people in Nigeria and Africa,” he said.

Gabriel also noted that the lower cost of food when compared to neighbouring cities made the city more attractive for both petty and big-time traders.

“The land is fertile, so some of the best vegetables and staple foods are grown here. This made people to congregate here,” he added.

According to Oghene Mukoro, she always comes to the market to shop for important items with satisfaction as she gets all that she needs.

Our reporter observed the activities of linkmen who relentlessly pestered customers to follow them to make purchases. The phenomenon, which is being bastardised by some of the traders, was developed from collaboration among traders, where a shop owner assists the customer with his request from his neighbour or sends one of his apprentices to accompany the customer to the right dealer and for the right price in return for a token. Nowadays, however, non-shop owners, hustling rent seekers who demand a commission hike prices and rip off customers.

A linkman, Obinna Eziefula, said they lived by the grace of God and could make a living through their activities.

“I am doing well. And I am grateful to God,” he said.

When Weekend Trust sought the response of the Abia State Government to the traders’ plea for a humane approach to the reconstruction and relocation of Ariaria market, the chief press secretary to Governor Alex Otti, Ukoha Kalu, did not reply to our inquiry at the time of going to press despite promising to do so.

Traders require visibility, funding – Abaribe

Responding to issues concerning the market, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe told our reporter that traders and manufacturers of goods in Ariaria require visibility, and that is why he organised all-expenses-paid products exhibition for the leatherwork section in Abuja on six occasions, which he said encouraged the army and other security services to place orders.

Speaking through his media adviser, Uchenna Awom, Abaribe said although small businesses could access funds through the Bank of Industry (BOI) and other banks, the traders’ association never presented a request for grants to him.

‘Why Aba products are labelled as foreign’

Mazi Tony Gabriel, whose warehouses are situated around Etche Road, Aba, approximately 1.3 kilometres from the Agharandu Industrial Layout, where products are manufactured and sold at Ariaria and other markets, explained why many Aba products are labelled as foreign.

He said some customers know that most of the shoes, clothes, bags, etc that they buy are made in Aba, but still buy them because they are made for their affordability yet with durable quality, while others think they are foreign-made.

“It is an African problem that we don’t value our own, and we don’t believe we can do it. And this is why Aba is different due to their hustling spirit, where they know how to survive. So, rather than beg, steal, or cheat to survive, they rely on their skills and ingenuity to survive,” he said.

“Therefore, when you see a label saying “Made in Japan, Italy, Taiwan,” etc, Nigerians prefer and go for them as against when the products are labelled “Made in Aba.”

According to him, many people don’t know that Aba products have become very good with their enhanced features, and may even be better than those made in China because of the machines being used now.

“China has transitioned to mass production and automation, but Aba will give you machine and manually produced wear. So, that is the difference. For instance, an Aba-made suit is better than one made in Abuja or Lagos. This is because the design comes from these same places to Aba, where they are made and packaged as imported. In Aba, they will give you good measurements and fitted wear that can match those from anywhere,” he said.

He explained that they don’t manufacture sophisticated electronic gadgets in Aba, except to assemble and repair, maintaining that they are expecting manufacturers of electronic gadgets to set up shops in Aba. (Weekend Trust)