By Folarin Kehinde, Abuja
Commercial activities around the Federal Secretariat, Abuja, remained sluggish on Monday, as civil servants and other workers are yet to fully resume duties after the recent break.
Traders around the area lamented the slow pace of business. A phone accessories seller, Abdulhamid, who spoke in Pidgin English, blamed the situation on the delayed return of workers and the prevailing economic hardship.
“You know, workers never come back; na why market no dey move. Even before Christmas, we suffer to sell. To see customers self na wahala.
“People dey complain say dem no get money, everything don cost. Na so we dey manage small small,” he said.
A security man at the complex, who preferred anonymity, told Vanguard that the usually busy premises have remained unusually quiet for days.
“Normally, by this time, this place would have been full. But as you can see, there is no turnout; even the market areas are almost empty.
“Today is the 5th, and it was supposed to be more than this. By next week Monday, everywhere should be filled up, and things will return to normal,” he said.
He recalled that before now, motorists often struggled to find parking spaces within the secretariat, but the situation has changed dramatically, with large parking areas now largely empty.
Also speaking, a Point-of-Sale (POS) attendant, Mrs Adewale Dorcas, said her daily turnover has dropped significantly.
“I am a POS attendant here at the Federal Secretariat. Normally by this time of the day, I would have done three times this turnover because people usually withdraw money for transport.
“But today has been very slow. We are hoping that as the week goes on, more people will resume so business can pick up,” she said.
Many traders and service providers expressed optimism that activities would return to normal by next week, as workers fully resume and offices reopen across the federal capital.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recorded scant vehicular movement, while the Ministry of Finance also witnessed a similarly low turnout.
Findings by Vanguard at about 9:00 a.m. showed only a few vehicles within the premises.
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