Nigeria is a unique nation! It’s very funny and may be amazing how developmental flaws are speedily capitalized upon by Nigerians to make money. In highly congested cities like Lagos and even along very busy inter-state routes, road traffic conditions are well-known to be spots you can grab a quick snack and even buy a few home accessories and even mobile phones. Business men and women readily take to the streets to earn a living, they sprint short distances and compete in a literally fast-paced working environment. The real question here is whether these kinds of businesses are profitable; the simple answer to this question is yes!

The most important aspect of their job-description is ‘watching their backs’ as these trading activities are not really legal. In Lagos for instance agencies like the KAI (Kick Against Indiscipline) are always on the lookout for these individuals trying to make an honest living -at least most of them. The reasons behind the Lagos government frowning at the activities of these individuals include the inevitable pollution of the environment (through indiscriminate dumping of wraps and packages), theft and robbery, traders putting their lives at risk, unauthorized sale of drugs, poor outlook(making a mess of the city) and the most pressing of them all; child abuse. The above stated reasons among others are the stumbling blocks of this maybe booming business which has been around for decades.

What can be done to safeguard the future of this growing business niche?

Better regulation is the answer. Not to forget that in Lagos for instance there is a dedicated traffic radio (96.1fm) which equally is an employer of labour, this means the radio presenters and the staff of that organization are employed today as a result of the existence of 'Lagos Traffic'. In the case of these road hawkers, a principal factor worth considering is the glaring advantage of better accessibility to various products by consumers when needed as it’s very convenient purchasing a bottle of drink and a beef sausage on the streets as opposed to trying to locate a shop nearby, struggling for parking space, alighting, then subsequently boarding after purchasing the quick snack and thereafter struggling to find your way back into the traffic which just got worse. The reality here is that because of the business need these hawkers fill-products on-the-go- it’s very hard to get these guys off the road, rather I think a sure way out of this will be embracing these hardworking Nigerians forced on the streets by their determination to feed themselves and their families.

I personally believe they fill a critical business void and should be taken seriously and treated maybe more respectfully. Even the Lagos state governor Babatunde Raji Fashola once acknowledged their efforts so why shouldn’t these individuals be considered as legal businessmen and women?

A few measures can be taken.......

Proper registration of hawkers: [/b]this should primarily kick against children hawking on the streets.

[b]Explosion of Human Signage business : interested hawkers could get themselves registered with local advertisement bodies like LASAA(Lagos state signage and advertisement agency) in Lagos to make them licensed to charge companies to wear branded costumes and advertise interested businesses. If BRT buses can get branded why can't human beings get branded and get paid too?

Making them environmental ambassadors: it’s only logical to hold these businessmen and women responsible for the sanity of the roads and drainage the trade on; a system can be designed in way that they get tax holidays or maybe direct cash benefits for their sanitary efforts. This will result in cleaner roads swept much more frequently.

Getting traders appropriately kitted: a few recommendations include the use of reflective jackets, a few body protective guards etc.

Stating legal trading periods: in line with the need for better regulations, trading should only be allowed at certain periods of the day which traders have to respect as well.

Having special road sanitary features for traffic prone portions of the road: a few features worth considering are more disposal baskets at strategic points.

So the next time you find yourself in traffic, the reality is that your presence gives hope to some others. This should be a wake-up call for government to create a road map to finding a meaningful solution.

SOURCE: http://autobaseafrica.com/road-traffic-is-good-business/