Ali
He gave his name as just Ali. He said he was from Ebonyi State. He came over to Anambra State on the invitation of his elder cousin who sold chewing sticks in EKWULOBIA, Aguata LGA of Anambra State. That was about 11 years ago. After being physically and verbally abused for over 3 years, Ali ran away from his cousin’s one room apartment, relocated to Awka and started living in an incomplete building with other runaways. That was when he was introduced to hiring wheel barrows with which he carries goods for a fee in Eke Awka market. He has since pushed wheel barrow for 8 years and counting.
How much does he make daily on the average?
He said he makes between 4000 and 6000 Naira daily. Hires barrow for 500 Naira and spends 3000 feeding while 1000 is put into daily contribution.
What does he do with his savings?
Ali said he sends his aged parents money every December and on emergencies. That is usually about 150,000 NGN in total annually. He said with the rest, he takes care of his wife (who has 5 kids now) and sells agbo (Yoruba herbal concoctions usually mixed with IJaw hot drinks used for alternative pharmacy).
I had stolen a distant photo shot of Ali and Uche just before I discovered they were a couple. She happened upon her husband for the first of several times that morning and had stopped for a brief chitchat while keeping her eyes peeled for prospective customers.
People, for fear of hospital bills or sheer ignorance resort to drinking agbo as remedy for ailments they don’t consider life threatening in Nigeria. This disposition keeps agbo sellers in business and so, Madam ( I hear Mrs is used only for married females) Uche is in business.
Uche
Uche is a native of Eddah, Afikpo LGA in Ebonyi State. She told me she met her husband while she was serving as assistant for a beans and roasted plantain pudding seller. Ali used to come and eat in their place. He would buy two plates every day. One in the morning and one in the afternoon. She said she was attracted to him because he looked very strong and disciplined. He was not smoking with the rest of the boys. “He used to look very shy and would not want to look me in the eyes. I found that funny for a 32 year old man but it made me fall in love with him. When he saw how my madam would talk to me in a harsh tone and slap me most times, he would come to my defense. He would ask my madam not to be harsh on me. One day, when my madam was not around and he came to buy food, i told him my story. My parents were killed during one of the wars between my community and people of Erei community in Biase LGA of Cross River State. My aunties gave us the surviving children (3 of us the younger ones, 4 of my siblings died too). They went to the farm with my parents and their corpses were brought back to us in the evening.
“Ali took pity on me. He said it was because my madam knew that I had no one that made her treat me anyhow. He promised to take me away and take care of me. After like 3 months and another bout of physical and verbal abuses from my madam, Ali came one Sunday evening to where we lived and asked me to pack my clothes and run away with him. My madam never asked of me. She would go about telling people that I ran away with a man. That I am a bad person. But Ali treats me and my children well. Someone spoke to me after our fifth child and we decided to do family planning so we can stop giving birth and start working towards improving our living standard. We live in an incomplete building and the living condition is horrible.”
I asked her how much she makes daily and she said “3 to 4 thousand naira”. And that she contributes to the daily upkeep of the family.
She said so many things about how difficult life was for her and the family and how she and her husband are making efforts to improve their lot. “I had started selling beans and plantain but my children wanted to run down the outfit by eating most of the food. I was also contributing to paying some bills in the house.
I then learnt how to mix agbo and have since been able to do better than I was when I was selling beans and plantain.
I recalled that I had seen several incomplete buildings in Awka where families put up with their kids. I wonder if a low budget housing project by the state government would not erase this eye sore from our beloved Anambra State and make every inhabitant of the state a person with a good sense of pride and maximum loyalty to paying taxes and obeying law and order while in the state.
@ostareze
