Driver & traders in brisk business on Indece day (Page 29)

Story: Lucy Adoma Yeboah
IN order not to disrupt their daily objective of earning a living, some traders and commercial drivers on Thursday closed their eyes to the statutory public holiday announced by the government and went about their normal businesses in some commercial areas of Accra.
As is common with all important national events, a statement signed by the Minister of the Interior, Mr Kwamena Bartels, and sent to all media houses on Monday, reminded the general public that the day, Thursday, March 6, 2008, which marked the celebration of the country’s 51st independence anniversary, was a statutory public holiday and should be observed as such throughout the country.
But a chat with some traders in Accra indicated that they had to work to survive and therefore, could not afford to observe the holiday.
A trip from Awoshie, through the streets leading to Kwashieman, Odorkor, Darkuman, Dansoman, Mataheko, Kaneshie, Abossey Okai and Adabraka, revealed that many of the traders, who were usually seen conducting their businesses, had as usual hit the road around 8.30 a.m.
Traffic, although not heavy as usual, had mounted between the road in front of the Accra Academy Senior High School, and the Kaneshie Market Complex when this reporter got there at about 9.30 a.m.
About 80 per cent of the shops lining the streets between the Kaneshie First Light, the traffic lights at Mpamprom and those at Abossey Okai, where mostly vehicle spare parts are sold, were open to customers.
Almost all the shops and stores at the two-storey the Kaneshie Market Complex were open. Traders who sell outside the market were also at their best with shouts to attract buyers.
In front of two shops where second-hand electronics were sold, a sizeable group of people, some with their wares on their heads, were seen watching the independence day parade live on television.
The lorry park close to the Kaneshie Market saw no change in operation as the place was as usual full of commercial vehicles with a number of driver’s mates shouting to attract passengers to their individual destinations.
It was also clear that the number of hawkers, who, on daily basis, occupied the road from the Kaneshie First Light to the Graphic Road at Adabraka, had increased in number.
In an interview, a dealer in hardware along the First Light-Mataheko street, who is known simply as Kwabena, said holidays were meant for government employees but not those in the informal sector.
He said his economic situation did not allow him to rest as much as he would have wanted.
He explained that he was forced to come to sell on Thursday and all other holidays because he usually received many customers on Saturdays and on holidays, since many of those who bought from him were people in the formal sector who were free to shop only on Saturdays and holidays.
Kwaku Samuel, a 21-year-old ice cream seller at the Mpamprom traffic light, said he was a mason who only found time to sell on Saturdays and on holidays.
A tomato seller at the Kaneshie Market, Maame Sarpong, said she could not afford to spend a holiday because she spent all the sales she made daily on her four children and, therefore, had to come to the market on daily basis.
From the Central Business District of Accra, Davina Darko-Mensah and Naa Lartiokor Lartey report that the enthusiasm and excitement that climaxed last year’s Golden Jubilee celebration of the country’s attainment of independence were completely missing this year.
Apart from most streets being quiet, the brisk business in national paraphernalia was also absent.
Traders at the Makola, Railways and Tema stations were rather selling their usual household items as if there was nothing special about the day.
The only place with a semblance of anniversary celebrations was the Kwame Nkrumah Circle where the national flags were hoisted while most major streets in Accra had no flags at all.
From the Ring Road Central to the Danquah Circle, which had lots of flags last year, there was not a single flag at all this year.
There were no miniature flags on cars either.
Along the streets of Accra the independence day fever was not felt either as people went about town ordinarily.
Human and vehicular traffic was not as heavy as it used to be as there were very few people and cars in town. However, the few people the reporter spoke to said the day was not different from any other day.
They explained that the publicity given to last year’s celebrations because it was the golden jubilee made it special hence the enthusiasm by Ghanaians to demonstrate their love and patriotism for their country.
A woman who gave her name as Akuokor Nartey said she was aware the day was independence day, but she preferred to celebrate it quietly.
A male trader, Kwame Opoku Asiedu, said he needed to sell his goods during the day so that he could celebrate in the evening with some friends at a drinking spot.
At the La Pleasure Beach, people were seen trooping with others already dancing to highlife and hiplife music.
There were both foreigners and Ghanaians, though the latter outnumbered the former.
Some hawkers who could not sell all their items made for the Ghana 2008 tournament took the opportunity to sell some T-shirts made in the national colours to the beach goers at the entrance to the beach.