For obvious reasons, those who deal on brooms in Akwa Ibom State are now enjoying a boom in their business, findings by TNN have revealed.
This development came after the state governor, Pastor Umo Eno decided to ditch the PDP under whose umbrella he contested and won the election in 2023, choosing to pick APC’s broom.
He forced his political appointees and local government chairmen, elected under the PDP platform, to join him in the APC. Those who refused to collect the broom had to resign their appointments.
Since then, there have been brooms scarcity. Many women, especially in the villages, now go into the bush to fetch palm fronds with which they produce the brooms for sale to APC members, especially the freshers, who would need to show off at public functions.
Public office holders now go into their villages to recruit followers, just to be in the good books of the governor. To perfect the drive, they secure brooms and distribute same to their recruits, making the demand for and the price of brooms to increase.
In some Ukanafun villages, many women now go into that line of business. Whereas palm fronds were hitherto not so much in high demand, except for firewood purposes, women and children now go into the bush hunting for fresh palm fronds, from where they would get brooms for sale.
One of the women, who preferred to be called Eka Imo, told TNN that she has found a new and thriving business in brooms production and sales and would continue in it for as long as it continues to put food on her table.
