By Sani Modibbo
Inside Sheikh Abubakar Gumi central market, one of the busiest commercial hubs in Kaduna state, traders’ worst fear is not lack of customers but signal. For hours each day, payments fail, calls bounce and no funds transaction could be processed, either via Point of Sale or electronic means.
“We lose sales every day”, said Ibrahim Abdullahi, chairman of the gold sellers’ union”. Customers are equally frustrated with the poor telecoms network at Gumi market.
Less than 3 percent of business owners have access to 5G network at the market, with few on 4G. While most are still on 2G or 3G, those weak networks with little signal keep fluctuating due to interference.
At every corner in Gumi market, phones raised to the sky, searching for bars of reception. Shoppers wander from stall to stall, hoping one corner of the market has just enough signal to complete a bank transfer.
Market officials blamed the poor network as a result of frequency interference overlapping signals from multiple masts installed by telecommunication operators and banks around the market. This, instead of amplifying services, the congestion cripples it.
From carrying multiple SIM cards, switching from one provider to another, stepping outside their stalls in search of a stronger spot, or rushing to open spaces just to complete a transaction.
“Customers spend 30 minutes or an hour trying to transfer. Many just give up and walk away.” Said Muhibbat Tomitope, a bag seller at Gumi market.
MJ Aniola of Survania Enterprise said the disruptions have driven some traders to the brink. “ Customers call or send WhatsApp messages, but we can’t access them. Even POS machines fail.”
This reporter who visited the market discovered that some shoppers deliberately avoid buying from the market despite it being the main commercial hub in the city. Fatima, a shopper, said she once had to call a relative in Abuja to complete a transfer after repeated failures in the market.
For some traders, the weak signals also invite fraud making them vulnerable to scams as they could not verify a transaction. Hassan Abubakar Kura, a cosmetics seller said opportunists use the confusion to fake alerts to steal items. “It’s not just lost money; it’s lost trust.” He said.
Christopher James, a customer, said he once spent two hours trying to pay for foodstuffs after work. “If not for my wife’s ATM card, we would have left everything behind,” he said.
The challenge is not unique to Kaduna. The Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) reported that on Christmas Eve 2023, more than 276,000 POS transactions about one in four nationwide failed due to poor network. In Kano for instance, traders at major markets have been facing similar woes, where the absence of a dedicated base station and unregulated use of signal boosters disrupted connectivity.
Traders there, describe the same exhausting routine; Payments stall, POS machines freeze, trust is strained, and businesses count their losses in a cashless economy still struggling to find its feet.
The problem is structural – Market authorities say
Nigeria has more than 169 million active mobile subscriptions, according to NCC. Yet, in markets like Kaduna’s central hub, traders say that sheer numbers mean little when overlapping masts leave them stranded without reliable service.
The problem has grown more urgent under Nigeria’s push toward a cashless economy. With insecurity making cash risky to carry and Central Bank policies limiting withdrawals, traders and shoppers rely heavily on digital transactions.
But in Gumi Market, where the network blinks on and off unpredictably, cashless becomes a trap.
Barrister Sani Muhammed Sulaiman, is the secretary of Kaduna Markets Development and Management Company. He said multiple masts in and around the market are interfering with signals and they have been engaging with the operators to provide a lasting solution.
“Telecommunications may not fall directly under our responsibility, but we cannot ignore the complaints. Traders are losing money daily, so we have to interfere.” He said.
Traders resort to self-help as experts proffer solution
In the absence of a lasting solution from operators, some traders have turned to self-help. Abdulrasheed Aliyu, a young trader, said he came up with a digital fix through shared access points. Today, a lot of traders in the market rely on their service to connect and run their businesses.
However, not everyone welcomed the innovation. Some traders accused them of deliberately blocking signals, while one even alleged they had mounted surveillance cameras.
“At the beginning, we offered the service for free, and many traders quickly joined. Later, we introduced a token fee, though what they pay is not even enough to cover management costs. Still, we remain committed because we believe we are solving a pressing problem. He explained.
But for many shop owners, the option has become a lifeline, providing a rare pocket of stability in the market that is still trapped in a digital dead zone.
Technical specialists agree that such interference happens when operators use overlapping frequencies or when masts are clustered. Abdulhakeem Usman, a telecommunications engineer, explained that this is why the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) must allocate frequencies carefully and providers must install stronger infrastructure to dominate the area’s signal.
“The NCC, tasked with managing frequencies, must coordinate operators to prevent mast congestion. Telecom providers must also install base stations powerful enough to override rogue signals in crowded commercial spaces.” He concluded.
When contacted, representatives of some telecom providers in Kaduna said they were “not authorized to speak directly with the press,” stressing that all official communication must come from their headquarters in Lagos.
However, a staff member admitted the problem is real. “Yes, we are aware of the challenges here. Network issues are everywhere, but in this market it mostly happens during the day because of the crowd. At night, the network works well,” he explained.
