By Kangmwa Gofwen
Samuel Ademola’s livelihood reminds one of a jingle that the National Television Authority (NTA) used to play around 2007/2008: “Every day for Naija, as day de break even before cock crow aahh, many people don wake up oo to begin work eahhh for Nigeria. Drivers, them dey. Farmers, them dey, market people nko, we dey. Teachers, we dey. Some dey work for office, others na factory, sports people nko oh, their own na for stadium, everybody get him own…”
Ademola, who hawks biscuits in traffic in Ibadan, Oyo State, shows up every day for his business as he hopes to move back to Cotonou, Benin Republic, where he returned from a few years ago.
“I used to stay in Cotonou. Immediately I finished my school cert in 1998, I began to struggle in order to further my education. I went to Lagos and spent some years there and after some years, I got to know my uncle stayed in Cotonou. My mother got his contact for me, so I went to stay with him in Cotonou.
“I started living with him and doing business, selling jeans with one Igbo guy inside Missebo market. Along the line, the government demolished our shops due to a road development. I started selling things inside traffic, phone accessories and little provisions. Later, some issues started arising between the Benin Republic government and Nigerians so I had to come back to Nigeria. When everything is resolved I will go back,” he said.
Though Ademola’s business seems small, he has big dreams and has been working and saving towards achieving his dream of relocating to the United States of America.
“That’s how I found myself here. I have to struggle to meet my needs as there are no jobs anywhere. I made contributions and gathered money to get back up. Also, I obtained my international passport because my friend who also sold in traffic is in the US and he said he wanted to help me move there as well. So, I pray that very, soon he can put me through and move me forward.”
Though he is working on travelling to the US, Ademola still prefers Benin Republic to Nigeria because, he said it is easier to make money there than back home because of how weak the Nigerian naira is.
“Due to the exchange rate, their money over there in Cotonou is stronger than the naira. I plan to move back there soon because our naira is valueless. It is easier to get money in Cotonou than in Nigeria. In Nigeria, it is not easy to achieve what you want. I can easily save 10,000 cfa there which is N12,000 here. It is not easy to achieve here.”
Just as with every job or business has risks, traffic hawking also has its accompanying risks and he has suffered a fair share of those risks when he newly ventured into the business.
“I could remember one day in Cotonou when I just started selling in traffic, one big man wanted to buy something from me but I didn’t know my leg was under his car’s tyre, as the car moved, the tyre rode over my leg and my foot started swelling I spent three weeks in the hospital before I was able to go back to business,” he said.
He said he is hoping that his visa/papers arrived soon so he could leave Nigeria because he, like many people, had lost hope in the country.
“My hope is for my papers to get completed. I have started processing them. I have sent some documents to those helping me and I’m hoping they will bring them soon. I am praying to God to intervene in the matter of this country. Our youths don’t have hope in this country because a lot of people graduate every year and they are not getting jobs anywhere.
“I know some of the leaders wanted to do well but when they enter the system it’s like something else enters their minds that makes them allow the people to suffer unnecessarily,” he said.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
