THE JOURNEY TO PEACE
By Temitope Bademosi
The noise, the hustle and bustle, the display of foodstuff and wares, buying and selling are the characteristics of a big market like this in the Akinyele local government area of Ibadan, Oyo state.
This is Sasa market, a distinctive feature of the Sasa community and it is a place of ethnic diversity housing many small-scale and large-scale traders.
History speaks of the settlement of traders here from Oja-Oba in 1979 and they have all been here ever since. The bulk of the traders at the Sasa market are Yoruba and Hausas.
There is hardly any foodstuff you need at Sasa market that you wouldn’t find.
But beneath the happy faces here lie the pictures of horror witnessed on the 12th of February 2021 when the peace in this market was pricked by the thorns of violence, turning the bubbling community to a shadow of itself.
Months later, the evidence of violence can still be seen with damaged structures and roofless houses around.
A misunderstanding between two persons had fanned the embers of violence, spiralling into a full blown ethnic crisis, causing enormous losses, leaving a trail of tears and destruction with some others paying the ultimate price.
Madam Ilupeju Adeyemo had nine shops in Sasa market where she sold provisions. She lost these shops along with more than 2 million naira. To make ends meet, she now sells pepper here, a trade she is unfamiliar with.
Some others affected by the crisis are still trying to pick up the pieces of what’s left.
Most of the shops and houses within and around the market were razed and they are now under-going renovation. Many roofless and destroyed buildings can still be seen around.
The journey to rebuilding Sasa market has been a long one. Through the year, the government and other stakeholders have been holding consultative meetings to ensure peace is maintained in the market.
Now that peace is reigning supreme, the traders are full of praises for the Oyo state governor who after the crisis, promised to rebuild the market.
The new Sasa Farmer’s market is set to be inaugurated. It contains 200 units of lock-up shops, 84 units of open shops, 8 units of modern toilets, an administrative block, a trailer park and a car park.
Since the inception of the market, the Hausas have been installed as leaders of the market but that arrangement changed in 2010, to the dismay of traders, the change in leadership aroused an age-long rivalry and misunderstanding among traders. This is another issue that seems to have been tackled.
We decided to visit the leaders of the community. Our first port of call was the Baale of Sasa.
We also visited the Seriki of Sasa.
The over 135-year old Sarkin is also the chairman of the council of Arewa traditional rulers and chiefs in the 17 southern states of Nigeria. There is now relative calm at Sasa. Peace, harmony, love and light have resolved age-long conflicts, rivalry and misunderstandings that have cropped up over the years and now, the people of Sasa are rebuilding the place they call home.