OAU Campus Vendors and their Untold Odyssey

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            Damissah Ogiegie 

Vendors around the academics area had again been plagued with tough restrictions from displaying and selling of their products within the academics area of the university.

Recall that the ICONS Organization, in April 2025, reported that vendors of a variety of products, excluding those who print documents within faculty premises, have been directed by the university management, to procure a stand/space for themselves at the OAU New Market, as all business transactions must not exceed the central market.

Meanwhile, weeks after the directives, vendors begin to return to the spot they were previously banned, with many assumptions that the management has directed them to return. However, in the last two weeks, goods were spotted being taken away from vendors around the amphitheatre by the university officials.

In an interview with one of the traders who sells plantain, she shared experience on how she first heard about the directives to stop selling goods around the academics area about over 10 months ago.

Speaking on how the directive had affected her daily income, she mentioned that some of her goods worth fifty thousand naira was taken away by the school security officers, causing a huge shortage in her income. In her words, “myself and other traders that shade around the academic area do so because we do not have enough money to rent shops at the new market, that's why we do bring some goods in small quantities to sell. Relocating to the new market would not really benefit us since there are several vendors of the same product who even sell in larger quantities in the market.”

One of the traders who spoke to our correspondents claimed that she can barely survive if she does not sell her products in the academics area, because that's the only was they can get profit from their sold items, pleading that the management rather construct designated space for them in the academics area to sell their products, making it possible for students to get these items too.

Although the practice of selling products in the academics area has been in existence for years, the recent directive has changed the narrative, as vendors continue to sell their products under tension and fear of being noticed by the security officers.

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