The popular Karimo “Okrika” Market is located after Life Camp Junction, along Gwagwa-Karimo Way, off Jabi/Airport Road in Abuja.
The market, which usually operates every Tuesday and Friday, is one of the biggest and cheapest Okrika (second hand) clothing market located in Abuja Municipal Area Council.
Traders from different parts of the FCT troop into this market on those days to sell their wares.
Most of the goods sold are fairly used clothing, bags, shoes, school bags, socks, night wares, inner wears, boxers and bed sheets among others.
The once booming business for several people over the years, has had its own share of the downturn due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
A cross section of traders who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria attributed low sales of their goods to the effect of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Vivian Nwogu, who deals in adult cardigan and town tops, said the high cost of wears had affected her business.
Nwogu said a cardigan, which used to cost N300 before the pandemic, now costs N500, while a town top, which was sold at N200 before the pandemic, is now N300.
Another trader, Rejoice Igwe, who sells children wears, said the pandemic had really affected her business, as most of what she sold at N300 or N350 before, now goes for N500.
Igwe said: “A bale of children’s clothing, depending on the quality, goes for N70,000 in the past, but now we buy it for N125,000, sometimes N130,000.
“A bale of joggers, which we buy for N90,000 before, is now N120,000.
“Even cost of transporting these goods has increased.
“Before, if I open this bale of joggers, I sell it all in a day or highest three days, but now even in two weeks, I will not sell all.”
Fidelis Do-Good, a female jeans seller, said a pair of jeans, which goes for N1,000 before, is now sold for N1,200 or N1,500, depending on the quality.
“A bale of jeans trousers goes for N120,000 now and sometimes if I manage to finish selling a bale, I do not get any gain on it, not to talk of getting my capital back,” Do-Good said.
Eunice Aniobi, who specialises in inner wears, said she comes to the market every Friday from Suleja to buy and resell in her area.
Aniobi said: “Before we buy one brassier for N170 or N180, now we are buying it at the rate of N250.
“A bale, which also goes for N150,000 before, is now N250,000 or N270,000.
“I cannot even buy a bale again, that is why you can see most of us here are sharing one bale.”
For Ugochi Dennis, who buys and resells female jeans trousers, a pair of jeans of N800 or N1,000 before the pandemic now goes for N1,500.
Dennis said: “I do buy, wash and iron it before I sell at the rate of N2,000 or N2,500.
“But now, I don’t even know how much to sell because customers have been complaining of no money, it has not been easy.”
NAN.