He desired a higher education in order to be better placed in the social ladder in life. At least, someone must make some attempt to wriggle the poverty-stricken family out of the woods. But this appears a tall order for this young man. In spite of his limiting background, 22-year-old Eke Effiong took the bull by the horn: he ventured into newspaper vendoring and hawking of beef as a teen.
With these two means of survival, managed to go through primary and secondary schools. After secondary school, Eke surrendered to fate and sought a new means of survival.
At 22, Eke now cooks noodles under a big umbrella beside popular Plaza Market in Uyo Akwa Ibom State. Saturday Tribune accosted him for a chat while he was standing beside some cartons of noodles, crates of eggs, and a gas cylinder connected to a burner awaiting pattonage.
He lost his father before his cripple mother gave birth to him. The fifth and last born of his family, Eke’s story of existential struggles and how he has been keeping hope alive for the past 22 years of his sojourn on earth would draw some hot tears from any human with a heart.
“My name is Eke Effiong from Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State. I was born in Calabar. I’m 22 years old and I’m not married. Truth is, I don’t have the money to get married yet.
“I lost my father before I was born and my mother is a cripple who is struggling to feed and has nothing doing. I was the one who trained myself through primary and secondary school by selling newspapers on the streets of Calabar and working for butchers.
“I was helping them to sell cow meat in Calabar. I am the last child of five children. My siblings are also hustling to make ends meet. I live in a single-room apartment where I pay N3,000 monthly rent at Etinam.
“I finished primary and secondary school, but could not continue because there were no funds and no sponsor. I sold newspapers to sponsor myself in primary school and hawked cow meat to pay for my secondary education,” he relived the sad reality of most kids in the oil-rich but impoverished Niger Delta region.
Still in an attempt to keep his head above water, Eke, who would not dig deep into the whereabouts of his mother and siblings, said he left his meat-hawking job in Calabar because it was no longer lucrative and came down to Akwa Ibom a year ago to see if life could throw at him a better prospect.
He, therefore, had to engage his hands at something as quick as possible to keep together body and soul.
“I started cooking noodles for sale last year when I came down to Uyo, but I just came to this area some days ago. I was plying my trade around Ekon-Iman, but I had to come down to this part of the state because business was not booming there,” he quipped.
Any prospect in the new-found petty trade given the daily rise in the price of foodstuffs in the country? He explained: “Before, l could make up to N4,000 on days that business was good, but now, I can hardly make up to N8,000 a week.”
Eke further decried the rising cost of foodstuffs, especially noodles, one of his major ingredients, as a major challenge he was experiencing in his business and said he would accept any help that would take him away from his current condition.
He also called on government at all levels to allow the actual essence of governance to find expressions in the lives of the people.
“The increase in the price of noodles and gas is a contributing factor and a major challenge in this business. It’s difficult to imagine how our government hardly look towards ameliorating the perpetual sufferings of we the masses.
“Don’t they know people are hungry and dying gradually with the removal of fuel subsidy in May and what followed till date?
“People’s salaries can no longer cater for their domestic needs let alone fuelling their cars or lending a helping hand to the underprivileged.
“In anyway, I’m hoping that my business, since that’s my only means of livelihood, will boom here, because, compared to where I’m coming from (Calabar), the population here is large. I hope it will translate to much patronage.
“I will, however, appreciate anything that will put money in my pocket because I need money to take care of myself and my suffering family.
“I believe that the increase in the price of noodles and gas is a result of the fuel subsidy removal because it seems that things are increasing rapidly by the day.
“Government at all levels should rise to help the underprivileged children in the streets before it’s too late. Help must come to us before it’s too late,” he said, with heavy heart.
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