Second-hand clothes, also known as okrika, has gained prominence among Nigerians, and even beyond, no thanks to the deplorable economic situation in the country that has forced willy-nilly many people to buy and wear used clothes and underwear. EMMANUEL ADENIYI visited the Republique du Benin recently and Missebo market, one of the markets in the country, where Nigerian businessmen and women frequent to buy bales of used clothes which are first smuggled into Nigeria before being sold in many Nigerian towns and villages. He also writes on the lives of Nigerians resident in the country.With a few thousands naira, getting to Republique du Benin from Lagos through Badagry-Seme border is not difficult at all. The major bugbear, however, is the irritating sight of touts who front for Beninese police and immigration extorting money from travellers before allowing them enter the small West African country.
Getting to Missebo market, too, from Seme takes less than 30 minutes and about cfa2,000. The prevailing atmosphere in the market, which is situated right in the heart of Cotonu and very close to Tokpa river, makes one doubt whether one is in Oyingbo or Agbeni market in Lagos and Ibadan respectively.
Aside Indians, Chinese and a few other nationals of different African countries, Nigerians call the shots in the market: Igbo men and women sell used clothes, Yoruba and a few Hausas are bureau de change operators, and many Yoruba women could be seen with their wares on display.
But for used clothes and Nigerians, who have popularised the market, Missebo would have remained the market of Indians and Chinese who sell made-in-Bangkok ankara and a few Beninese petty traders. Even at that, most of buyers of these ankara and other cloths sold by the Asians come from Nigeria.
In a way, Missebo (though the clothes are sold and repacked in Tokpa market) remains the major Beninese market where bales of used clothes imported from Europe are sold, or repacked for Nigerian markets.
Formerly Biafran market
Formerly a car park for vehicles conveying goods and travellers to Abomey – a Fon city, which at one time served as the capital of the ancient kingdom of Dahomey – the market was said to have been renamed “Missebo” by the Beninese government.
According to Chief Samuel Moses, a prominent second-hand clothes trader in the market and a native of Abia State, who disclosed that he had spent 28 years in Cotonou, having arrived and settling down in the city in March 1986, the market used to be known as Biafran market, but was changed to Abomegah, meaning the part of the town where buses used to load to Abomey.
“My master who taught me trading came in 1960. Many of the Beninese people don’t see Ibos as Nigerians, hence the name Biafran market. It has not been easy in the last 28 years, but because I speak Egun and Fon languages as well as French, doing business here and interacting with the locals have not been challenging,” Chief Victor stressed.
He said those selling second-hand clothes also known as okrika in the market often sourced them from England, because Britons were very careful of what they put on, adding that some of the used clothes were also imported from China.
“It pains me today that China now sends used clothes to Africa. China of all countries? It shows that they are a serious people, and government is working there, because a few years ago the country couldn’t have dreamed of selling clothes to Africa,” he lamented, saying the cost of freighting a container load of bales of used clothes ranged between $5,000 and $7,000.
“Most of these clothes are still new and intact. Many of them have their labels and tags on them. Europeans, especially Britons, don’t use clothes the way Africans use their clothes. This is why many people prefer buying and wearing them.”
Commenting on the challenges faced in the country by Nigerians, he said many Benineses, just like other French-speaking African nationals, saw an average Nigerian as a criminal.
“I don’t know why they have that mindset, because their economy is heavily dependent on Nigeria’s. Sometimes when you bring out your passport, you are judged by its green cover, and you are not given any benefit of the doubt. Same situation prevails in Ivory Coast and other Francophone African countries. Most of what they hear about Nigeria is bad, however what about those things that Nigeria does right?“Most non nationals in this country have consulate cards, but that of Nigeria is not respected. In fact, they prefer that of Burkina Faso, DR Congo and others to Nigeria’s. It is only in the Republique du Benin that West Africans are made to carry resident’s permit.
“In 1993, for instance, when Mathew Kerekou was the president, many Nigerians suffered harassment and intimidation. There were times they would invade houses inhabited by Nigerians and ask them to produce their consulate cards, failure of which would land many in prison. Many Nigerians are here without having any business here. I feel Nigerian government should put in place good structures that would discourage Nigerians from fleeing their country,” he advised.
Azeez Onifade, a port agent at Sekandji park and a native of Ede in Osun State, also attested to the highhandedness of the Beninese authority, saying many Nigerians coming to the Republique du Benin to buy goods were often arrested, while money found on them would be taken away, even having shown them their passports or identity cards.
“They must not hear anything about Nigeria or hear you speak English, you would be arrested. What is the offence of Nigeria? Besides, Nigerian embassy is not doing anything about it. The officials there are just ineffective,” he alleged.
Adelu Abeedeen, a bureau de change operator in Missebo market, who is also from Ede, Osun State, said what Nigerians were passing through could better be imagined than experienced.
According to him, countless Nigerians are locked up in Beninese prisons for trivial offences. “In fact, some traders coming to the country to buy and sell are often arrested, and if they don’t have money to bribe the police they are hurled into prison.”
Excel Frank Ezema and Catherine Samuel, who are both natives of Abia State, and Samuel Etu, a native of Amasiri in Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, further narrated the ordeal of Nigerians in the country, saying many Benineses regarded Nigerians as outcasts.
“Since they don’t own television sets at home, if they see you with one, you are in trouble. If you greet them, they wouldn’t answer you. They sometimes come to the market to fight with us and break bottles,” he claimed.
Stanley Ogbonnaya and Mbaise Ogbonnaya also spoke about the difficulty often encountered before collecting resident’s permit issued by the Republique du Benin immigration, noting that to get the permit could take years, because they were fond of asking for papers they knew you would not get easily.
However, Hajia Binta Abdulazeez, who spoke with Sunday Tribune at the Nigerian embassy in Cotonou where she was waiting to meet with embassy officials on how she would sort out certain issues regarding her 20-year-old daughter’s admission to the University of Abomey-Calavi, disclosed that Nigerians were responsible for the hatred shown them by the Beninese.
“I also come around here to buy goods. The Republique du Benin’s government issues resident’s permit to Nigerians because of the nasty things Nigerians do here. Hardly would you see a Beninese steal, but Nigerians steal and rob here.
“There is a particular hotel where almost all the prostitutes there are Nigerians. Why won’t they issue permits to foreigners who have come to destroy their country?” the mother of six and a widow, who said her husband died in 2008 in Kano, revealed, noting that she decided to bring her daughter to Cotonou to study Computer Science to avoid losing her to Boko Haram attacks.
“Rich people living in Kano who started Boko Haram crises have all taken their children abroad to study. Why wouldn’t I do the same if I know her future and life is safe in Cotonou? Besides, she would only spend three years to study the course, while it could take her up till five years in Nigeria due to persistent strike actions,” the vivacious woman added.
Nigeria’s second-hand clothes sellers
While explaining to Sunday Tribune on how they go about buying used clothes from the Republique du Benin, which are often smuggled into Nigeria, Mrs Josephine Ogundeji, said the clothes were often purchased either at Missebo or Tokpa markets, noting that bales of clothes purchased would then be conveyed to any of many vehicle parks in Cotonou to be taken to Nigeria.
“What I always do is to carry my purchase to Sekandji park where there are many souvres (drivers or crossers) who would carry them to Wobu, and from Wobu to Saki, and from Saki to Ibadan. We often pay the crosser N5,000 for every giant bale smuggled into the country, and conveying it from Cotonou to Ibadan, for instance, could take four or five days, because of customs on the way. Some traders also prefer going through Ipobe in Lagos, but that could take a long time,” she said.
Mrs Ogundeji disclosed that God had saved her several times between Badagry and Mile 2 expressway in Lagos while returning from the Republique du Benin, saying in April this year, armed robbers robbed her and okrika sellers on Badagry expressway at a point very close to the Federal Government College, Ijanikin, Lagos.
Faith Ogbonna, a native of Abia and Uzoamaka Ibe Uche from Ebonyi State also lamented the influx of people into the business. They added that the influx had dwindled their profit margin and said that trouble often given them by customs and the police was a great threat to their business.
Seme is one of the busiest borders between Nigeria and its neighbours. It is also touted as one of the routes most banned items illegally enter Nigeria. EMMANUEL ADENIYI was at the border and witnessed a rare display of corruption by Beninese police and immigration, who station touts along checkpoints to extort money from travellers. He writes that the corrupt activities going on on the Beninese part of the border cannot, in any way, be compared with the N20 kickback oft collected by men of the Nigeria Police.
I later realised that some of the men understood Yoruba perfectly, but often pretended not to, so as to confuse whoever was “arrested” by them, knowing very well that the more confused their victims, the more money they would bilk out of them.