Traders in the Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos State, on Tuesday shut down activities to protest the planned installation of female and male market leaders “Iyaoloja” and “Babaloja” respectively.
While it prides itself as Africa’s Silicon Valley, the market is Nigeria’s biggest hub of ICT merchandise, mostly old, scrappy, computers, their accessories, and stolen phones, repaired and refurbished and sold for profits.
No particular technology development or iterations have been credited to the hyper-active marketplace yet.
But the protesting traders insisted the village is an international market that does not need such imposition of Iyaoloja.
Some protesters said installing that title would undermine the position of computer village internationally as the biggest technological hub in West Africa.
The market has been in existence for 25 years, and the introduction of the local leadership, many say, will create friction amongst the traders.