Streets in Bamenda yesterday bustled with life after over a
week of business shutdown. Businesses
widely opened their doors after keeping them closed since Monday April 15. No
one can say with exactitude how the people resolved to keep their businesses
closed for this long. During this shutdown period, major markets in Bamenda
remained opened by the market masters but no shop owner opened their specific.
As they opened their shops this Tuesday, many buyers could be seen rushing to pick
one or two things.
Holding a shopping bag in front of the Bamenda main market,
Magratte Bih tells me “I am expecting a baby anytime from now and I had to rush
here early to do my shopping. No one knows what can happen next here in
Bamenda. Some of us in this town just get up and see things happening. I had to
call to someone to find out if shops were open. Thank God they are that is why
I came.”
“My brother I don’t know where we are going with this thing.
Some of us have just become debtors. I came here last Monday and saw some of my
colleagues here but the way others were acting and looking at us as if we had
committed a crime. I just had to lock up and go home immediately. I happy those
who are asking us to open or close have pitied us; hope they will not ask us to lock again tomorrow.” A shop owner (identity withheld) tells this
reporter.
Sources subject to verification have it that promoters of
ghost towns and the ongoing crisis sent out messages threatening everyone to
remain indoors for a period of one week leading up to the National Day
celebration. The effects grapevine say was to ensure a total boycott of May 20
activities. This however affected only shop owners as taxi drivers and
commercial motorcycle riders completely gave a deaf ear to the call.
“I don’t know why the people are targeting only us shop
owners. As you could see Taxis, Okada and other forms of public transport were
all functional. We shop owners are the unfortunate victims of this crisis. Last
time the military promise to come and force open the shops. Thank God they have
not done so till now else we would have died. I just pray God this thing ends
now. We are suffering my brother in between two elephants.”
The hitherto sleeping city for the past eight days only
regained life yesterday though still timid with some on easy calm.
Government authorities have been consistent in the call to
an end to Ghost towns but the calls seems to be yielding no fruits with the
most recent lasting for eight days being the longest since the start of the
crisis in 2016.