On May 29, this year in his inaugural speech, President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of fuel subsidy. Ever since, a lot of things have changed and life has not been the same for many people.
For Umar Shehu, a fruits seller at a popular junction in Ibadan, Oyo State, since the subsidy was removed, the market has become “unbearable” because of the high costs of goods in the market.
Shehu said he and others from the North came to Ibadan in search of greener pastures but they face many challenges down South, including from task forces that enforce environmental laws.
“Our greatest challenge is how the market is becoming unbearable with the increased costs of goods because of the high cost of petrol. The subsidy removal has really affected our businesses because everything is now expensive.
“The market we go to buy our stock is far, we get these fruits from Oje or Bodija market and for a distance that we used to pay N200 as transport, we now pay N500 or more and those who brought the fruits to the market have also increased the prices as well,” he told Saturday Tribune in an interview during the week.
Shehu said he settled for the fruits business out of the many he tried because it was easy to manage and he is working towards returning to his home state to continue his education after saving.
“I chose this business because I felt this is better to manage among other businesses I tried but I am praying and working towards saving for my education. I will like to go back to Kebbi and continue my education in the future. I’m just doing this to support myself and my family.”
He said he was inspired to go back to school because life is easier when you are educated and you would interact differently with people whether business partners or friends. He said his friends and relatives that went to school are doing well for themselves back home.
“When you are educated, you would know how to interact with people and your life becomes easier. Because of education, you live in peace with everybody around you. Like, if a customer approaches me rudely, I’ll be able to respond calmly not in an apprehensive manner and we will part in peace.
“And like I said earlier, being uneducated is worst for us here because we speak Hausa. Back home, life is easier when you are educated. Like my friends and cousins that were able to go to school, some of them now work with the government, companies, banks and organisations. They are doing well, God is helping them and through that, they take care of their parents and family. So that is why I want to go back to school.
“You’d have many problems with your business partners and even friends when you are not educated and that has been why I really desire to go back to school,” he told Saturday Tribune.
He said he couldn’t further his education because of his father’s incapacity to see him through and he also lacked support from people around him in Kebbi.
“My father was not buoyant enough to send me to school. I tried my best to raise money to further my education but I couldn’t raise enough money. I sought for support from people but you know most rich people in the north don’t care about us the poor and that was how I stopped schooling.
“So, I look for other things to do and that was how I found myself here. If I had gone to school, I wouldn’t be here. I would have been working or doing a better business at home that would be able to take care of myself, my family and friends.”
He pleaded with the government to allow them carry out their business where they are or allocate a suitable location for them around the area.
“We came here from the north in search of greener pastures but wherever we set up our businesses, people who claim to be government task forces do not allow us, they chase us all the time. We don’t know what to do, even when we plead with them, they don’t listen to us and that is a big problem for any business because one has to be stable in a place in order to be able to make reasonable sales.”
“So now, we are pleading with this government to come to our defense so that we can do our business because some of us have families in the north and it is from what we make here that we send something home for them to feed. I don’t know if it is government that is bothering us or individuals.
“But most times it is some people wearing uniform with ‘Ultima’ inscription that comes to disturb us. When they come, they push our goods while we run helter-skelter. And when they chase us, they don’t allocate another position for us to be able to make our sales they just ask us to leave and again, they collect money from us. We pay N100 every day; every person you see here pays that daily N100 but our issue is not the money but the place to generate that money is our challenge,” he said.
The Kebbi man said he had been in the fruits business for six years in the same area and they cleaned the environment after every close of business while adding that people look down on the once they know they are Hausa not minding if they were literates or not.
“I have been doing this business for six years and I have been paying the daily fees since I started selling here. It used to be N50 before it was increased to the current amount we pay. And at the end of each business day, we put together N50 each to pay for cleaning this place; there is no day that we leave this place dirty after the close of the day’s business.
“We don’t know if we pay those charges because we are Hausa or not. People look down on us, they don’t care whether we are educated or not. Once we speak Hausa they don’t respect us anymore. I am not an illiterate, at least I went to secondary school,” he added.
Regardless of the many challenges that came Shehu’s way, he is determined to achieve his aim of moving far from home.
“We have many unforgettable experiences here, some people will come to buy fruits and will refuse to pay and will dare us to a fight but because we are here for business, we would just let it go. Some will say they had given us money even when they did not and will insist on collecting the fruits but we leave all that to God because if we decide to react they would scatter our goods.
“So, whenever we sense any trouble, we are quick to pack our things and leave at once. Someone that came this far for business would have to live in peace with everyone in other to achieve his aim.”
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