Africa
SOME traders at the ongoing 21st National Sports Festival (NSF) in Asaba have bemoaned the fact that there are several Games Villages for athletes at the festival.
A cross-section of traders at the 13-day event told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews that the situation has greatly affected their sales at the festival.
NAN reports that the multiplicity of Games Villages is a departure from the usual practice of having one or two Games Villages, with the athletes accommodated in more than seven hostels.
The traders are now saying that they would have made huge sales if the athletes were accommodated in one place.
Chubuike Sunday, who came from Lagos to sell goods at the festival venue, said traders could not form a market base for a brisk sales.
“I always stay where they (festival contingents) are lodged because that is where they buy things. But because the contingents’ accommodation is scattered, we resort to coming to the events’ venue, which is the stadium.
“Unfortunately, we can only sell to people living in this environment.
“Many athletes won’t buy materials here because of the stress of moving around, particularly when there was no free buses like it used to be,” said Sunday, who sells body wears.
He noted, however, that he was still able to make some sales, even though they fell below his expectations.
Another trader, Richard Samuel bemoaned the lack of mobile toilets for traders and non-athletes at the main events venue, saying it was one of the shortcomings of the festival.
He said lack of sanitary facilities led to open defecation around the event centres, and urged subsequent festival hosts to consider all the logistics in their planning.
Esther Monyei, a trader from Port Harcourt who trades in foot wears, also called for the location of Games Villages in a single place.
She however commended the Delta Government for successfully hosting the festival, saying she made brisk sales.
“I am impressed, because the type of sales I made is unprecedented.
“Besides, I adore the peaceful situation. The fact that we stay here all days, and there are no fights is enough for me,” she said.(NAN)
KN
Tags: National Sports Festival
