The Cross River State Police Command on Friday confirmed the abduction of two businessmen, Paulinus Obi and Emmanuel Ozokwu in Calabar.
The Public Relations Officer of the command, ASP. Irene Ugbo, confirmed the development in a telephone interview with a correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar.
Ugbo said that the police were working hard to secure the release of the businessmen.
“Yes we are aware of that and the police are working hard for their release. The police are not magicians, we are doing everything possible to get to the root of the matter.’’
She said that the kidnappers had yet to demand ransom.
NAN learnt that Obi, who is a motor parts dealer, was abducted in his shop by gunmen on Feb. 7.
Ozokwu, a contractor, was also abducted by gunmen in front of his shop at Target Street in Calabar on Feb. 8.
An eye witness, Mr Chukwuemeka Okoli, said that Obi was kidnapped at about 7:00 p.m. at his shop.
“We were sitting out in front of Obi’s shop about 7:00 p.m., having drinks and two young men dressed in black walked up to him and excused him.
“As soon as he stood up, another stern-looking masked man came out from a parked old blue Audi 80 with AK 47 riffle and jerked him up and threw him into the car.
“Immediately the Audi 80 drove off with the three other persons, another Camry car parked down Bedwell by White House Street followed them and they zoomed off to unknown destination.
“Since then they have not called, neither have they sent any message as to the next thing we can do. Honestly, this is one kidnap too many and the traders would not take this matter lying low any longer, ‘’ he said.
Reacting to the development, the President of Igbo the Community in Calabar, Chief Albert Enya, described the incident as unfortunate, calling on security operatives to step up their activities in the town.
He assured that Igbo people resident in Calabar would collaborate with security operatives to find lasting solution to the problem of kidnapping.
The quest to want to keep up with fashion trends at lower costs have forced many to look in the direction of ‘second hand’ cloth dealers other than the more classy and prohibitive boutique sellers.
Generally, the trend has always been that people who work in blue-chip companies wear Western clothing such as new suits, shirts and trousers as well as skirts and blouses. However, over the years, these items have become increasingly expensive, thus forcing many workers and other individuals to patronise second-hand clothing markets where they source wears at cheaper prices.
In the past, second-hand clothes, described in different parlance as ‘Okirika’, ‘Tokunbo’, ‘Bend Down Select, (BDS),’ etc. were synonymous with the lower class people.
But today, recession and perhaps the poor management of the economy, since the early 90s has led many people including the low and middle-class to go for used clothes.
Where do these clothes come from?
It is generally believed that many of the clothes were donated to charity homes in Europe and America. They are packaged and sent down to Africa for the less privileged.
However, the clothes end up in the hands of traders who sell them at huge profits. To prevent the entry of such clothes into the country at the expense of locally made ones, the Federal Government placed a ban on importation of such materials.
In spite of the subsisting ban, importation and sale of second-hand materials (especially clothes) is on the increase.
Some markets across the country are well known for the sale of the fairly used items. They include the popular Yaba, Katangowa and Aswani markets in Lagos. Nyanya and Wuse markets in Abuja, New Benin Market in Benin city; Igbudu Market in Warri, Kasuwa Barci market in Kaduna.
However, a visit by TheNewsGuru.com team to the once bobbling Yaba Market, one of the major reservoirs of the fairly used clothes and other materials in the country shows that the business is at a decline. While some people attributed the low business activity to the Lagos State Government’s bulldozing of some shanties initially used by the traders as shops, others are of the opinion that high cost of the materials played a major role in keeping people in their homes rather than coming to the market.
Love for Second-Hand clothes
One of the buyers, a student of one of the federal institutions who makes brisk business buying and reselling the clothes to her colleagues in school said second-hand clothes are more durable, fitting and affordable.
‘You can’t compare the durability of second-hand clothes to new ones. The new ones are easily adulterated and that makes it quite difficult to get genuine ones. So you end up spending huge money on inferior materials that won’t last you as much as you want. More so, the clothes were not used badly. Many of them (the second-hand clothes) even appear more attractive than the so called new ones. It’s proven over time, fairly used clothes last longer, fits better and costs less than new ones,” she said enthusiastically.
Another buyer, Mrs. Akintunde, a mother of five said she preferred second-hand clothes because of the durability. Akintunde said that, so far, she had spent only N6,000 to purchase clothes for five children, adding that she spent more than N17, 000 buying brand new clothes for them last year.
In her words: ‘When I dry clean these clothes and thoroughly iron them, they appear very straight and clean, and one would not be able to differentiate them from the so-called new ones.For me, these clothes are not just affordable, they last longer since most of them are either American-used or London-used,’’ she said
Second-Hand underwears too
One would have thought that sale of second-hand materials was limited to clothes and shoes. However, investigations by TheNewsGuru.com team reveals that second-hand undergarments are equally a big market, especially for the ladies.
A final year accounting student at the University of Lagos confirmed her love for the fairly-used undergarments when she declared that “I will go for second-hand bras, come rain-come sunshine. Are you kidding me? Those Okirika bras are super comfortable and cheap, although, some are expensive. The bras come with metal underneath the cups, they don’t hurt like our local brassieres. Comfortability matters much.”
Another lady who couldn’t hide her love for the Tokubo undergarments told the TheNewsGuru.com: “I prefer to buy the used underwears because of the quality. The new ones are of inferior quality and they get worn out easily. Also, the used underwears are always unique,” she said.
‘Okrika get grade’
It is indeed interesting to know that there are grades within the second-hand materials. TheNewsGuru.com reports that traders harp extensively on this fact to their customers to sometimes increase the prices of the wares. The traders explained that the newer the wares, the higher the prices.
Chukwudi hails from Imo State. He sells female second-hand undies at Yaba Market. He confided in the TheNewsGuru.com that the items were brought into the country from the Benin Republic. In his words: “We go to Cotonou to buy the items. Tuesdays and Thursdays are market days in Cotonou. On these days, we are sure of getting new arrivals. There is the first grade Okirika, which could pass for new clothes, that is why some big and influential people also patronise us.”
Another Okirika trader, Mrs. Joy Okezie who has been in the business for over eight years said as an Okirika trader, the newer and finer your goods are, the more money you are going to make because people prefer to buy those that could pass for new ones. “In this Okirika business, you must understand that Okirika get grade. People tend to go for attractive, presentable and clean wares other than the rough ones. It is when you have this kind of wares that you are sure of making good money,” she said, sounding more like a professional.
Medical experts’ warning ignored
TheNewsGuru.com reports that medical experts have repeatedly issued stern warnings to people about the dangers of wearing second-hand clothes. The experts warned that such clothes are dangerous and could harbour harmful germs since the container conveying the used clothes don’t arrive their destination for several weeks. According to the experts, wearers are exposed to infections such as syphilis and candidacies, sexually transmitted infections, and several other harmful infections.
However, this warning does not pose any threat as both the rich and poor gracefully patronise second-hand cloth dealers.
Another classy female customer, who works with one of the new generation banks spoke proudly to TheNewsGuru.com team on why she preferred buying not only the second-hand clothes but also undies. She confessed to having used both the new and the fairly used materials and second-hand materials lasted longer. She noted as well that some of the second-hand materials cost more than the new ones. She also tutored fellow ladies on how best to clean such materials before use.
“I prefer to buy a first-grade (Second-hand Bra) than a new one. Second-hand bras last longer and don’t wear out so fast unlike the new ones. First grade Okirika bras are more expensive than China-made bras, which are very common in the market. After buying the Second-hand bras, soak them in warm water and Dettol and wash with detergent or mild soap, depending on the colour of the bra and it’s ready for wearing.”
Recession affecting our business – Traders
When the TheNewsGuru.com team interacted with some of the traders and buyers, they all decried the high cost of the materials blaming it on the falling naira value.
‘My brother things have been so bad for a while now. The business is gradually going down. People no longer troop to the market like before. They complain that our materials are expensive and its not our fault. The dollar is soaring up every day and that automatically affects the prices of our goods,” one of the traders told TheNewsGuru.com.
According to some of the traders, a pair of ladies’ shoe that initially cost N2000 is now sold for N5000. Also, a pair of first grade unisex jean that sold for N1,500 about a year ago now sells for N3,500-N4,000.
Another trader who deals in ladies wears said business has taken a downward turn for a couple of weeks now. He said the depreciating value of the naira against major currencies in the world contributed immensely to the poor business which was almost becoming a norm.
“Business is bad my brother. Before I sell up to 30 to 40 pieces of jeans daily but the reverse is the case now. These days, I hardly sell 10 pieces a day. Sometimes, we don’t even make a single sale. The exchange rate is too high now and that makes the clothes a bit expensive than what it used to be. People are used to the old prices and if you ask them to adjust to current realities, they will just walk away. This Buhari government does not favour us at all. The government needs to wake up to its responsibilities”, a visibly enraged trader told TheNewsGuru.com.
Another trader blatantly refused to speak with TheNewsGuru.com on accounts that he was yet to make any sale for the day.
A buyer at the market also confirmed the high cost of the materials. ‘The clothes are so costly now. It takes extra effort to convince my buyers who are used to the old price to add more money to adjust with current realities. I must tell you that it’s not being easy but we have no choice than to survive”, the lady said.
TheNewsGuru.com reports that the naira exchanged for N367 to one dollar on Monday. It exchanged for N476 and N432 to the Pound Sterling and Euro respectively.
In order to ease the mode of doing business and make life more easy for the people, the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration has approved the disbursement of a ‘no-interest loan’ to 23,400 beneficiaries in 13 states including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
This was made in a statement, signed and issued by spokesperson to the acting President, Laolu Akande on Monday.
TheNewsGuru.com reports that the loan which ranged from N10,000 to N100,000 per applicant would be paid directly to the beneficiaries.
Stressing that beneficiaries must belong to registered associations or co-operatives, Akande said this was “to ensure that they are peer-endorsed as credible.”
He said over one million people had enrolled for the micro-credit scheme across the nation and added that they would all benefit this year.
According to Akande, the “no-interest” micro-credit scheme, with “only a one-time five percent administrative fee is targeted at traders, artisans, market men and women, entrepreneurs and farmers.”
He added that “the actual feeding of pupils is expected to commence this week in Ogun and Oyo States; while Ebonyi State will soon follow suit.”
Akande dismissed reports of food rationing in states where the home-grown school feeding programme had kicked off.
He said,“While the federal government has paid all approved cooks based on the number of pupils allocated to each cook, it’s the states that provide the number of pupils to be fed. And where those figures change, the next batch of FG payment would reflect it. Specifically, where the number of pupils increases, the states will communicate the increase and approve the review.
“The numbers of the new pupils are then physically verified before a commensurate number of cooks are engaged, trained and then paid. The FG has also adopted a system where it pays the cooks a 10-day advance payment for feeding. The programme is designed to ensure that no cook feeds more than 150 pupils a day, but in some cases, the numbers are as low as 35 pupils a day.”
