Visits by SaharaReporters to commercial areas including Tunga market, City Gate, Kpakungu and the Tunga–Farm Centre show traders operating close to construction corridors are contending with restricted movement and inconsistent dust-control measures.
Ongoing road construction in parts of Minna, Niger State, is adversely affecting small businesses, as traders report reduced customer access, declining sales, and health concerns from dust during the dry season.
Visits by SaharaReporters to commercial areas including Tunga market, City Gate, Kpakungu and the Tunga–Farm Centre show traders operating close to construction corridors are contending with restricted movement and inconsistent dust-control measures.
Most traders acknowledge the importance of the road projects, but say the pace of work and limited mitigation have disrupted routine commercial activity and household income.
At Tunga, a furniture maker, operating opposite the Niger State Transport Authority (NSTA) garage and popularly known as ‘Paragon Furniture, described daily working conditions inside his shop as unbearable.
“Since this dry season, you can see dust everywhere. Even now you can see me with my face mask. I normally put on face mask from morning till evening and sometimes throughout my stay in the shop,” he said.
He explained that the dust sometimes affects his ability to remain at work for long periods.
“Sometimes it will be as if you want to faint, because the dust is too much,” he said.
The state’s 2025 budget performance indicates a slow pace of capital spending by the Ministry of Works and Infrastructural Development. Budget documents show that the ministry was allocated N297 billion for capital expenditure for the full year.
However, actual spending from January to September 2025 was N145 billion, meaning the ministry spent less than half of its approved capital budget in the first nine months.
The low implementation rate raises concerns about the state’s ability to deliver on its infrastructure projects within the remaining months of the fiscal year.
Meanwhile, Governor Umaru Bago, in March 2025, expressed regret over securing a ₦1 trillion loan for the Urban–Rural Renewal Projects. The governor said he should have opted for ₦500 billion instead.
According to the furniture maker, contractors initially made more frequent efforts to reduce dust, but those measures have reduced over time.
“The constructors come maybe once a week to sprinkle water on the road. At the beginning they sprinkled water 2–3 times in a week, but since this dry season started, it has become only once in a week. Sometimes even in a week they will not even do anything,” he said.
SaharaReporters, after speaking with residents across Minna metropolis, observed that the road construction project that began in 2023 has been abandoned. The contractors reportedly left the site due to inadequate mobilisation and delayed fund releases by the state government.
SaharaReporters also noted that the city has become dusty, forcing many businesses to relocate. Many residents who still go out for daily activities are now using face masks to protect themselves from the dust, raising concerns about public health.
The construction delays come amid a wider push by the state government to upgrade roads under the Urban–Rural Renewal Projects. Governor Bago has repeatedly urged contractors to speed up work, warning that those who failed to meet deadlines risked losing future contracts.
“So you want me to come up and tell you to do it? You have to do it in two weeks,” Bago told contractors at a meeting in March, stressing that projects should be delivered shortly after the Eid Kabir celebration.
The governor had also said the state had enough funds for the projects, insisting, “I have raised ₦1 trillion for this work. You have not yet used ₦500 billion, all of you. So I still have money left.”
But he admitted the loan was a heavy burden.
The furniture maker added that the construction has coincided with a decline in customer turnout compared with previous years.
“Before now, the market is not how it used to be. Before the construction started, we used to have enough customers patronising us on a daily basis. And my business was moving,” he added.
He added that the reduction in income has affected his ability to meet regular expenses.
“I have to pay school fees for my children, house rent, even shop rent and the market not moving by this time. There is no joy; we are praying to God to help us,” he said.
He noted that the impact is evident in seasonal items that would normally sell during this period.
“For example, since last month, I’ve not sold a single fan even though the weather is a bit harsh. This is the season that we can sell fans but throughout last month, I didn’t sell any,” he said.
Nearby, a home appliance dealer, Chimezi, also lamented that access challenges and dust have reduced customer visits to his shop.
“It’s affecting my business. There are no sales. People are no longer coming the way they used to come because people are running away from the dust. Business is not moving as it used to be,” he said.
At City Gate, where traders rely largely on passing traffic, a fruit seller, simply identified as Ustaz, said the construction has reduced customer flow.
“I sincerely thank governor Umar Bago for road construction across the state, but many small business owners in the city and I are suffering from the slow pace of the work. It has hampered my sales, and it has affected my business as a whole,” Ustaz said.
He explained that reduced patronage has forced some traders to sell produce below cost to avoid losses.
“I usually sell these items for N2,000 on a good day, but today I’m selling them for N1,000. If I don’t sell, I’ll lose customers, the goods will spoil, and I’ll still have to pay my supplier,” he said.
Also affected are traders relocated due to road expansion near the State Secretariat and House of Assembly complex. One of them, Saminu, said the change has had lasting effects on his business.
“I’m in debt and I have been facing hardship since the commencement of the road construction, which has affected my business,” he said.
He called for quicker completion of the project to ease movement and restore customer traffic.
“I call on the governor to fast-track the construction to ease commuters’ struggle,” he said.