When to sell more ogogoro, cigarettes at Lagos busstops

By Emmanuel Udom

Some big-time and petty traders, dealing in herbal alcoholic bitters, popularly known as ogogoro and cigarettes around Alimosho local government area in Lagos, have reveal peak periods when more these items are sold.

But, it is not limited to Alimosho alone as investigations showed that these peak periods also hold waters in various communities all over Lagos.

To Iya Ibeji, a petty trader selling all sorts of herbal bitters products, cigarettes, pure water, biscuits, soft drinks, etc, at night at the Lagos-Abeokuta/New Ipaja road junction in Iyana Ipaja in Lagos, early in the morning and late in the evening are the peak periods she normally record more sells.

But, Iya Ibeji is taking a risk staying all night, selling her products at the junction where trailers coming inward from the Ile-Epo end of the expressway to join New Ipaja road, as she and her children could be killed if there is a break failure.

Independent observations around Iyana Ipaja from 4 am to 7 am and 7 pm to 12 midnight in the last two days revealed that petty traders like Iya Ibeji, dealing in herbal bitters like: action bitters, captain jack, erugege, striker, tombo, ijaw waters, chelsea, seaman, as well as all brands of cigarettes, explain that they sell more of these items to people either going to work early in the morning or returning home after work or business or outing.

Mama Ayetoro, a popularly petty trader dealing in these items opposite the police pin-down point at the Agege axis of New Ipaja road, boasted that she has been selling her products for years and has actually single- handedly raised her children and built a house when her husband died three years ago.

According to Mama Ayetoro, I make between N2000 to N3000 as net profit on a good day during these peak periods.

The  story-line is the same at Igando busstop,where Mama Chinyere, a popular ogogoro and cigarettes trader selling close to Igando police station told our reporter that business in good especially early in the morning and late in the evening and night during rainy days.

My brother, “a sachet of action bitters goes for between N80 to N100, captain jack, N50, erujeje-N60, tombo-N70, and striker-N50”

“Take tombo for instance, a pack that contains 20 sachets is sold for N1300 now. How on earth do you expect me to sell each sachet for N50 and still make profit”, a female fair in complexioned ogogoro trader at Idimu questioned our reporter, who demanded to pay N50 for a sachet of tombo.

Petty traders around busstops on Akowonjo, Lasu-Igando, Igando-Ikotun, road also confirmed a boom in the sale of these items at these peak periods.