New Telegraph

Strike: Business owners, operators count losses

Anguish as pang of varsities’ closure bites on campuses

ANGUISH

It is a tale of woes and anguish as business owners and operators on Nigerian public university campuses are counting their losses in the last six months of closure of institutions

˜ Many of us have relocated our businesses for lack of patronage

˜ It’s really tough for us – Business owners

 

There is no doubt; these are really challenging times for business owners and operators on Nigerian public university campuses, more than six months of closure of universities.

 

Business owners and operators, especially campus shuttle/cab operators, food vendors, mart owners, barbing/hair salons, photo studios, cyber café owners, tailoring outfits and photocopier outlets, among others, are already counting their losses.

 

They, however, raised concerns over the sustenance of the businesses in the face of the prolonged strike. According to them, the over six-month-old strike embarked on by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) since February 14, 2022 and other staff unions in the system, has totally paralysed and grounded their businesses on campuses to a halt, and brought untold hardship to their families. Worried by the development and the need to make ends meet, many business operators and service providers across Nigerian campuses, New Telegraph investigations revealed, have either relocated or moved their business outfits and concerns out of the campuses.

 

For instance, when New Telegraph visited the Akoka main campus of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), business owners and other service providers on campuses, expressed their disenchantment over the negative impacts of the prolonged strike and its worrisome effects on their lives. To them, the unresolved face-off between the Federal Government and the staff unions has completely ruined their businesses and shut down their means of livelihood.

Lamenting the closure of the university system, which they described “as a big blow to their business and livelihood” they regretted

that they could no longer  make a living since they provide services to students on campus. Worst hit are the drivers of the UNILAG shuttle bus that ply Yaba to the Akoka main campus and cab drivers operating within the campus of the 60-year-old university, who bemoaned their plight.

 

They, however, told New Telegraph that the strike had totally run them out of business for almost seven months since there are no students, their major clients, on campus to patronise them. Findings last week indicated that few bus drivers, who are still operating from Yaba to the campus, only have few passengers unlike the situation before the strike. “On a good day, we make between 10 and 12 trips, but now some of us that are still operating here hardly make three trips.

 

The situation is really bad. Most of us have relocated our buses to other routes until normalcy returned to the campus due to lack of passengers. This is the work we do to feed our families and train our children in school,” one of the drivers said. Another driver, who identified himself simply as Afeez, said with no end in sight to the strike, some of his colleagues had been forced not to ply the campus due to low patronage.

 

“I am still operating here because this is where I get my daily bread. We still have a little patronage, but it is not as it used to be when students are fully on campus. Most of my colleagues have already moved their buses for this route to operate outside the campus in order to make enough money.

 

I plan to join them soon if the strike persists,” he said. Also, further findings revealed that most business owners operating at the various business arenas/centres on campus had already closed shops; while a few others who still open their shops record low patronage.

 

Speaking with our Correspondent, a phone and computer accessory operator, who identified himself as Mr. Wilson, lamented the sliding fortune of his business following poor number of customers who visit his shop. He said: “The students and staff constitute the greater number of my customers, but they are not on campus. S

o, business is dull due to the low patronage; which is usually high when the campus is in session. My patronage has gone down to about five per cent from 95 per cent which I usually record during normal school session. “A good number of business owners have closed shop, while some directed their workers/staff to stay away because they could no longer pay their salaries due to lack of patronage resulting in poor sales because of the strike. Recounting her plight, Mrs. Adekunle, who runs a mini grocery

store, said the presence of students on campus really boosts her business, but this has been negatively affected since the strike. “Like others, my business is no longer doing well like before.

 

Most times I open the shop; I end up not making any sales from morning till night. I cannot close my shop since I sell perishable products. I need to keep my shop open though I have reduced the quantity of what I buy,” she noted.

Also, a restaurant operator, who didn’t want to disclose her name, told New Telegraph that patronage has been rather too low, saying: “I used to cook about 16 cups of rice daily when school is session, but now with the strike I hardly cook five cups of rice, and most times now I cook based on demand from the few people on campus so as to cut down losses.”

While lamenting that she never  expected the strike to last this long, she appealed to all the relevant parties in the face-off to come to a reconciliation table in order to end the strike which is already taking its toll on her livelihood without further delay. She expressed regrets that many of the business owners on campus had to close down their shops and sacked  their workers. At the University of Benin (UNIBEN), the economic consequences due to the strike have continued to take its toll on business owners, and particularly transporters, who operate on the Benin and Ugbowo campuses of the institution.

 

Describing the situation as pitiable and unbearable, some commercial bus and taxi drivers, who spoke with New Telegraph, described their experience as horrible. Also, shop owners and service providers within the campuses and those operating within the university’s immediate environment, who are mainly patronised by the students and other staff members are groaning over the poor business activities due to the strike.

 

Speaking on the issue, Timothy Isibor, 65, a taxi driver on Ugbowo campus told New Telegraph that the past six months had been challenging business wise for him and his other colleagues. He recalled that at a point when he could no longer cope, he had to relocate his bus from the campus to Benin metropolis, regretting that he used to make between N10,000 and N15,000 daily on campus, but now he hardly makes N3,000 daily.

 

Describing her situation as pathetic, a shop owner, Alfred Saddo, who explained that since university was shut down his business has suffered a great deal, attributed this to the absence of students, his major clienteles on campus. “As you know this is a school environment and business is usually dull without students on campus. I pray and hope that the Federal Government and ASUU willsoonendthestrikefornormalcy to return to campus,” he stated, regretting that several business owners/operators could neither open nor keep their workers/staff due to lack of sales.

 

“Oga, we can’t blame them. This is a matter of survival as they are also struggling to survive. I want to appeal to the Federal Government to resolve with the striking unions so that they can go back to work. I also advise ASUU to please consider the plight of the students and parents, who are the worst hit by the continued strike,” he added.

 

Favour Agusi, also a worker at a business centre at the Ugbowo Campus, explained that the strike had brought untold suffering to all business owners at the complex, recallingthat sincethestrikestarted, businesses have gone to sleep. “We have been eating our savings and there is no hope that the strike will even be called off soon,” he regretted.

 

Thus, he pleaded with the government to enter into genuine negotiation with ASUU in order to end the strike. Also, a visit to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) showed that economic and business activities had been crippled as some business outfits had closed down due to the strike. It is the same story of hopelessness at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), as the business owners/operators on campus are disillusioned by the negative effects of the lingering strike on their business.

 

The main areas where trading and business activities usually take place were desolate when New Telegraph visited the institution, except four shops that were opened. Some business owners, who spoke with our Correspondent, however, said that the strike has negatively impacted on patronage.

 

Consequently, many of the business owners, it was learnt, had already relocated from the campus to Akure town, while others still on campus are only expressing hope that the crisis would be resolved for their business to resume in full swing. Adeyinka Olaoye, laundry business operator on campus further explained: “My business is basically for both the students and staff.

 

Before the strike, business was booming well with customers coming to patronise us, but because of the strike, things are no longer as usual. Wearejustmanaging withthe lowsalescurrently. I haveevenasked some of my workers to go home for now as a result of the situation. New Telegraph further found out that some business owners on campus have sold their stalls due to lack of income.

 

Narrating her predicament, a POS operator, Shade Afolabi, lamented that she was already fed up with the situation as she could no longer cope with the sharp drop in her sales. According to her, before the strike she used to make a daily transaction of between N200,000 and N400,000, but now she hardly make N20,000 transaction.

 

Also, a barber shop owner, Bola Adewale, who recalled that before the strike he was having high patronage, lamented that “everything suddenly went down immediately the strike began as students vacated the campus.” “The painful aspect of it is that some of us operating businesses on campus are now in debt because we took loans to stock our shops. With the on-going strike we have been finding it difficult to repay the loans,” he stated.

 

ToNelsonAnsenstor, operatorof a photocopy, printing and passport photograph centre, prior to the ASUU strike, business was okay as I recorded huge patronage daily, but since the strike began, business has been really dull as sales has drastically reduced.

 

Meanwhile, drivers operating at the North Gate main car park of the university recounted their plight, saying that they hardly make two trips against over six trips they used to make before the strike. Speaking on the negative effects of the strike on their business, the Chairman Lagos Unit of the driver at FUTA North Gate, Akinwale Adelanke, pointed out: “Our sales was very okay before the industrial action.

Then, we used to load more than six buses daily from Akure to Lagos, but since the strike, business has gone down terribly and we hardly load two buses per day.” He described the strike “as a big blow to their transport business,” evenasheimploredthegovernment to listen to the lecturers so that the students can go back to classes.

 

Also, at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) it was a story of woe for business owners. A visit to institution showed that from Alakahia to Choba and Aluu axis of the university, the beehive of economic activities synonymous with the area has given way to complaints and anguish as a result of poor business and sliding economic activities.

The unusual quietness has taken over most of the everbusy areas on campus. A business centre owner at the Abuja Campus of the university, Steve, is unhappy that the Federal Government is yet to address the issues that necessitated the strike.

 

“When the session is on I used to make huge sales and profit. I have three workers working with me. Generally, business has been good, but currently nothing is happening and it is really though because of the strike,” he said. A bar and soccer viewing centre operator at Alakahia entrance of the university, who did not want his name in the print, lamented the poor patronage, even as he complained that the area which used to be a beehive of activities is now a ghost village, with attendant limiting economic activities.

 

“Take for instance, only a few people now come to the campus, making business to be dull, while taxis and shuttle buses that ply Alakahia and Choba have reduced the buses for lack of patronage,” he said. Also, a restaurant owner at the Abuja Campus Park, Maxi, however, bemoaned the low patronage owing to the prolonged strike, saying before the strike he used to cook six tins of beans and rice daily, but he hardly cooked two tins now.”

 

The effects of the over six-monthold strike has also taken its toll on business owners and operators at the University of Ibadan (UI), like their other counterparts in other campuses across the country. They operators, who are also groaning under what they described as “poor business environment,” told our Correspondent that it was no longer business as usual since the strike started.

 

When New Telegraph visited the nation’s premier university, the owner of a business centre and cyber cafe at the Students’ Union Building (SUB), who transact payments for students via Remita; operate cyber cafe, as well as do photocopying and print of examination results, among others lamented his predicament.

 

He said: “All these have stopped by the strike, which has made life unbearable since there is no business. Things are damn too tough. My brother, you can see how empty this place is now. It used not to be like this.” To owners of the Klazz Canteen, located at the Tedder Hall of the university, the experience has been precarious. She lamented that business has been at its lowest ebb, saying: “Since the strike started few months ago we have been sit down idle like this because there are no customers or patronage.

 

You can see how we are sitting down. We are tired of the strike. Only God can save this country. Is it not the volume or quantity of sales we make that will determine our profit?” she stated. A cyber café operation, simple identified as Mummy Esther, narrating her experience, said: “Everything is sweet o, as we cannot say otherwise.

 

Students that come here to type their term-papers, projects, assignments, among other documents are not around for over six months now. Where is the work to do now? We have no money to take home like before, of low patronage. Additional reports from Adewale Momoh and Francis Ogbuagu

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