By Nefishetu Yakubu
#TrackNigeria: Food Vendors in Edo are counting their losses following the postponement of the general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by one week.
The vendors had already arrived polling centres as early as 6 a.m. with already cooked food in preparation to make good sales.
Mrs Theresa Igbinosa, a Food Vendor at Western Boys High School in Ikpoba-Okha ward 2, said she spent about N50,000 to prepare the food.
“I am not only sad but very angry. I spent so much money and woke up as early as 2 a.m. to prepare this food.I have not even slept at all.
“My problem now is what to do with the food because nobody is here to sell to and I am so confused right now. I even borrowed the money from my neighbour with a promise to pay back after sales,” she said.
“INEC is not fair to us at all. Why did they have to wait till this morning to cancel the elections. They could have done the postponement before today,” Igbinosa said.
Osifo Lucky, another food vendor, said, “there is no hope for the poor in the country. Nobody puts you into consideration before taking any decision. They just wake up and do whatever that pleases them.
“As you can see for yourself, I am looking at my food and the food is looking at me too. No buyer; the school is empty. those that came have left. I am confused,” Lucky said.
Another food vendor, Mrs Osaretin Osagie said that she was not a full-time food vendor but only wanted to take advantage of the elections to make money for herself.
Osagie said, the drinks, bags of water and some cartons of biscuits that she bought would not spoil, but that the already cooked food was the problem.
”How do I sell this food now. I do not have shop in the market to take the food to for sale.
“I will just remain here for some time after which I will go and share the remaining food to neigbours and street people. It is a very sad situation,” she said.
INEC had shifted the Presidential and National Assembly elections from Feb. 16 to Feb. 23, and also moved the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections from March 2 to March 9.
The Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, announced the postponement at a press briefing on Saturday morning.(NAN)
