The Eke Awka Market, said to be the largest market in Awka, the Anambra State capital, has continued to grow from a small market serving only the needs of residents, to a major retail outlet for the city and neighbouring towns.
Statistically, the market, strategically located in the heart of the city and named after one of the four Igbo market days, houses an estimated 5,000 lock-up shops and stalls, all tightly packed into less than 35,000 square meters of space.
The market, expected to be open for business only on Eke market days, going by its name, has over the years become a daily market as it throws its doors open for business transactions every day, except on Sundays.
Beside the business activities that characterize the market, the market management approved a three-hour prayer session (7-10am) every Monday for the spiritual upliftment of the market.
For the period of 7-10am the prayer is meant to last, no business transactions are expected to go on in the market as various sections of the market are under lock and key to enable shop owners and other stakeholders congregate at different centers in the market to partake in sessions of intensive prayers.
Customers who were in the market for one business transaction or another, of course, are left with no option than to hang around and patiently wait for the prayers to be over.
Even traders who are not interested in the prayers are not expected to open their shops till the end of the prayers, as anything contrary is frowned at with its attendant penalty.
Some of the adherent of the prayer session, while speaking with Daily Trust, lauded the initiative, saying the prayer, which commences from 7am to 10am, had yielded much fruits over the years.
Uche Osisioma, who deals on baby items and wears, attributed the progress her business has recorded to the weekly prayer she partakes in.
“Since I identified with the programme, my hitherto unstable business has continued to experience a boost. Indeed, the prayers are not in vain,” she said.
Another trader, Alphonsus Okoye, said starting the first day of the week with God is the best thing that can ever happen to any businessman or woman in the market.
“The rest of the week will always be determined by the way you started the week. Any week I didn’t join in the prayers, that week would be miserable for me,” he said.
Some, however, see the prayers as mere religious activity and waste of time to the existence of the market. They said the prayer is not worth it in view of the economic loss the market incurs for the three hours the prayer lasts every week.
“I doubt if those that approved the prayers have ever taken time to calculate the millions of naira the market losses weekly to the prayers.
“Apart from the three hour period the prayer lasts, it is completely wrong to start the week with the shops under lock and key. For me, there is nothing wrong in praying in the market, but if it can be moved to any other day aside Mondays, I think it would be better” a public servant, who gave his name as Obaemeka Olise said.
Another customer, who preferred anonymity, frowned at the attitude of most traders who participate actively in the prayers, describing it as sheer hypocrisy.
“The first time I visited the market and met them praying, I had to patiently wait for them to finish, with the belief that I would get the best products from them. But to my greatest chagrin, I was not only sold fake products, but the products were sold to me at an exorbitant price. I regretted the time I wasted waiting for them to finish prayers,” he said.
Reacting, the Chairman, Newspaper Distributors Association Awka chapter, Ogbonna, whose association also organises a weekly prayer session, described those who condemn the prayers as suffering from ignorance, maintaining that giving God two hours out of a whole day is not too much.
He said they initiated the spiritual exercise eight years ago following series of challenges confronting the association.
“We discovered so many things going wrong within our fold, including high level of indiscipline among vendors and distributors due to clash of interests. Sometimes, you see some of the vendors fighting in the course of doing their business.
“Even the fine of N5, 000 we introduced as a measure to checkmate the ugly trend did not work as many of them were ready to pay the fine when caught fighting because they believe they have the money.
“But soon after we introduced the weekly prayers, the incidences of fighting started reducing. In fact, I can’t recall the last time any of the vendors or distributors fought,” he added.
He highlighted other dividends of the prayers to include increase in sales, fruitfulness in marriages of family members, as well as joy and peaceful co-existence among members.
