*Canoe Peddlers Make Brisk Businesses In Maiduguri
WHEN floods swept through Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, last week, canoe owners volunteered to help move residents to safety. But residents say they are now being ripped off by the canoe owners charging steep fees to move their belongings.
Maiduguri is reeling from the worst flooding in 30 years after Alau dam wall burst, following heavy rains that also hit several parts of West and Central Africa.
With vehicles unable to move in many parts of Maiduguri, residents are relying on canoes.
Falmata Muhammed, a 48-year-old mother of three, told Reuters that she decided to move some furniture this week, but was shocked when a canoe owner charged her N80,000 for a short trip, more than the monthly minimum wage.
After losing almost everything to floods, she was upset that “some are making it a big business, using the disaster to make a huge amount of money.”
Fisherman and canoe owner, Mohammed Yusuf, said he still moved residents for free, but that some residents offered money to use his canoe.
Some canoe paddlers are making brisk businesses due to high patronage of their services.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that people are patronising canoes to move from one point to another, a trend that availed the peddlers opportunities to earn more money from the trade.
In some of the flood submerged areas, such as College of Agriculture, Muna and 505 Housing Estate, the stagnant water forced residents to hire canoes to enable them to access their homes.
A peddler, simply identified as Haruna, said he charged N5,000 and above to ferry a passenger to the flooded residential quarters and other affected areas, adding that most of the passengers were going to their homes for damage assessment or to collect some belongings.
“It depends on the distance and what a passenger is going to do. If we are to carry some items, then charge will rise up to N10,000 or more,” he said.
Meanwhile, some fishermen and children were recording good fish harvest in the flood affected areas. While fishermen were using proper fishing nets, the children used mosquito nets and bare hands to fish in the receding waters and artificial ponds created by the floods.
One of the children, Danladi, said the experience worth it, as they were making good catch of fish.
“Sometimes what we catch is enough for soup when we mobilise in groups. Most of the fish are tiny, we fry or roast them to eat,” Danladi said.
The Borno State Government had reopened the Maiduguri Central Market, known as Monday Market, for businesses 10 days after the flood.
