Vox Pop of Some Nigerian Women and Their Struggles for Survival

PLAC Beam conducted an opinion poll of some women in rural communities in the Bwari Area Council of Abuja on their struggles for survival as well as their impression of, and expectations of the government. Below are their views. (Some spoke originally in the Hausa language.)

 

Adamma Abdullahi

My Name is Adamma Abdullahi from Kawu Ward, Bwari Area Council.

I’m in the business of selling of honey. Honey is what I sell. For example, I sell this one for 2,000 naira. Sometimes it goes for 2,500 naira, other times 2,000 naira, depending on the market.

If it’s expensive, I know how much I will sell it for, if it’s cheap, I know how much I will sell it for to be able to restock. I have been in this business for three years.

I started this business since my husband died to take care of myself and my children. Sometimes the business doesn’t move; but if God helps us and the business moves, we make a profit from it, and we eat and drink from it.

Sometimes in a month I make as much as 4,000 or 5,000 naira. If I sell 20 litres, I can make like 4,000 or 5,000 naira. For instance, out of a profit of 5,000 naira, I spend 3,000 naira and save 2,000 or 1,000, depending on how expensive food is.

The people that have come to help us are ACEIDEV.  (African Centre for Entrepreneurship and Information Development -NGO). We are grateful to them. They came and taught us about some businesses that will help us. And we are happy with the way they have helped us. It has further opened our eyes.

For example, when the politicians come and tell us they will gather us, they will explain to us what and what they will do if we vote them in, they will do this, they will do that.  Sometimes at the end they will not do anything, they will just give us Maggi. The Maggi when they give us, if we are 50 in number it might not be up to one each.

 

Hassana Mikailu

I’m Hassana Mikailu, popularly known as Village Woman. I am from Shere kworo, Bwari, Abuja. I am married with four children – two boys, two girls.

I am a trader selling groundnut flakes, Kulikuli, and groundnut oil. I have been in the business for about two years. I’m being backed in the business by my husband. I normally buy 10 to 20 kilograms to sell for a week, with a profit of about 1,000 naira every two weeks.

After making my sales, I would remove money for my capital and costs and the remaining balance is about 500 naira at the end of every week.

Now, we have one non-governmental organisation called ACEIDEV that came a month ago and trained us on how to make liquid soap. This organization has really helped our life. In our village we didn’t know how to make liquid soap before now. If we can have more of such organisations that are ready to help, train on how to make money, to be self-reliant, we will be very happy and it will be of great help to us.

 

Halima Adamu

My name is Halima Adamu. I’m a widow living in the Kuduru ward of the Bwari Area Council. I sell charcoal and also prepare and sell a pepper spice known locally as Yaji in containers. I have been in this business now for two years, going to three.

For the charcoal, I sell one sack every day. Now only two are left. When I sell a sack, my profit is between 200 and 300 naira.

I have six children, four boys, two girls. We are supporting ourselves. Sometimes it’s Garri we take to sleep. No money, no husband, just children, so we drink Garri and go to bed.

I don’t trust politicians because they are liars. If a politician comes to us, we will tell them there are things we want them to do for us. We want electricity, we want water, we want roads. If they agree they will do all these things, they will write an agreement stating they will do these things, we can then agree to vote for them. 

 

Amina Umar

 My name is Amina Umar from Shere Kworo under Bwari Area Council. I’m a married woman with three children, two boys and one girl. I’m unemployed and my husband is providing for us. 

If I see anything in the market that I will like to buy I will go and ask my husband and he will help me with some money. If I had the capital, I would have liked to open a business centre.

The politicians are not interested in us. The only time they are interested with us is during the time of elections. Now they’re through with elections, if we go to them, they will send us away. I can’t depend on any politician for my livelihood.

 

Salima Ibrahim

My name is Ibrahim Salima. I’m student living in the Bwari Area Council in Abuja. I’m studying Biology at the Kebbi State University of Science and Technology, Aliru.

My parents are currently supporting me. In a month I get 5,000 to 10,000 naira as my allowance for school. I just manage myself till the time I get my next allowance. I’m not into any other business.

My father is a businessman. He sells wrappers, and my mum is a housewife.

If I get to meet a politician or someone in government, I’d tell them to help us as students with scholarships and help our parents with money they can use for investments. We don’t need all those stuff they normally give us, such as maggi, rice, all those petty, petty things that won’t be enough to feed a family.

I would tell them to give jobs to the unemployed and open opportunities for us as students to earn money so that we can support our family and help our parents.

 

Farida Abdullahi

My name is Farida Abdullah, from Tudun Fulani, Bwari Area Council. I’m a student at the Federal College of Education, Zuba, and my parents fend for me.

We want the politicians to change things in this country because women are suffering a lot. Everybody is suffering.

What we need is just more effort from them. We just need work, hand work, especially hand work.

Every month my parents always send 10,000 naira to me which can’t take me anywhere, so we just manage.

 

Fatimah Adamu

My name is Fatimah Adamu. I live in Kawu community in the Bwari Area Council of Abuja.

I sell groceries such as Garri tuwo and Alubo. I’ve been in the business for about two years now and my husband is my sponsor. After my expenses I earn between 700 and 750 naira everyday as profit.

I would like to expand my business so that instead of selling one bag, I can sell two or three bags every day.

Because I live in the village where we don’t have roads, power or water, I would like the politicians to intervene and build them for us.

 

Shukurat Idris

My name is Shukurat Idris from Shere Koro in the Bwari Local Government.  I’m married with children, all boys.

I sell groceries, focusing more on soup ingredients such as vegetables, tomatoes, pepper and okro. I’ve been this business for more than a year. My only supporter is my husband.

On the average, I make a profit of between 500 naira and 700 naira a day. It’s not every day that we get customers. If I don’t sell, I try to be patient.

If I have more money, I will open a bigger shop, like a supermarket. Now I have just this one table.

Politicians don’t attend to people except during elections. During elections whatever you tell them, they’ll agree. Once the election is over, they no longer want to help. If I want to see my local government chairman now, he will say come tomorrow. If you go the next day, they will still say come tomorrow. For me it is a waste of time.

 

Cover Photo Credit: Microgrid Knowledge