Working Lives: The Mai Shai Who Left Lokoja to Sleep Under Lagos Bridge

Working Lives: The Mai Shais of Agege

You never know where a WL series takes you. This hot Mai Shai series is supposed to be about tea, noodles, bread etc. but it has turned out to be about migration, poverty, education etc. within Nigeria. And about extraordinary luck and human kindness. It will make you realise how extremely privileged you are. You may also be surprised to witness the spirit of enterprise amongst very poor Nigerians and how hard work moves them up the economic ladder.

The Mai Shai Who Came to Lagos to Sleep Under a Bridge When His Dad Died

HAUSA BABAGIDA

None of us northerners come to Lagos with any idea or hope of a room to sleep. We never do. We just come with the hope that things will get better when we get here. Lagos is like a small London for us back home. So when we arrived, we hung around and slept under the bridge. My younger brother was 14 years old and I was 21. But I live in a room in Iyana Ipaja now. I pay N4,000 monthly for the rent.

Where are you from?

I am from Kogi state. I grew up in the city of Lokoja.

What school did you attend and when did you leave school? 

School? I did not attend any school o. This is the first time someone is asking me what school I attended. The only school we had in our village was extremely far from our house so my parents did not bother to send any of us to school. The school itself was not even in a good condition. It had a few youth corpers trying their best to teach. Everything is a mess back home.

Tell me about your family?

My dad is late. He was working as a driver before he died. He drove a truck for a pure water manufacturing company. My mom sells tuwo in the evening at the bus park in Lokoja. I have 4 siblings. I am the eldest. Before I came to Lagos, I was assisting my mother in the evening attend to customers.

Also Read: Working Lives: The Mai Shai Who Was Set up By a Lekki Madam 

When did you get to Lagos?

I came to Lagos in 2008 after my dad died in 2007. I had to come because my mom could not provide for all of us. The tuwo business was not really bringing in enough income. We all relied mainly on my dad’s income.  So I came to Lagos in 2008 with my younger brother. That was the only way we could ease the stress of our mother.

Where do you live and how much is the rent?

When I got to Lagos, I did not have anywhere I was living.  None of us northerners come to Lagos with any idea or hope of a room to sleep. We never do. We just come with the hope that things will get better when we get here. Lagos is like a small London for us back home. So when we arrived, we hung around and slept under the bridge. My younger brother was 14 years old and I was 21. But I live in a room in Iyana Ipaja now. I pay N4,000 monthly for the rent.

How did you start the Mai Shai business?

When I got to Lagos I started connecting with other guys from home. Hausa people are all one.  We form a community anywhere we are. We got ideas of what to do to survive from our new friends. My brother and I started cutting grass for people. We would walk about randomly all day looking for people who would ask us to cut the grass in their compounds. We did that for almost 2 years. We were making between N1,500 to N3,000 daily. After saving for several years, I then had enough money to start the Mai Shai business.

How much did it cost you to establish?

It costs me N25,000:00. I started on a small scale. I bought just the basics-the pot, stove, a table, plates, and other small things. When I started selling and the business was doing very well, I expanded. I now have two gas cylinders because my customer base is now large.

For how long have you been in the business?

I started in 2011. That is about 9 years now. It has been a very long time. There is nobody that does not know me at this Iyana Ipaja Bus Stop. That is to tell you for how long I have been here.

How much do you make in a day?

Before coronavirus started, I was making N30,000:00-N35,000:00 in a day. That is how smooth things were. But I do not make up to that anymore because of the whole lockdown and curfew issue. Most of my customers are night crawlers and now that the government has said everyone should be in by 10 p.m., I go home earlier than usual. I am losing money because of the shorter hours. I make about N10,000:00-N15,000:00 daily now.

Also Read: Working Lives: The Nurse Who Saved the Life of an IVF Baby Alone

What is your best day like?

My best days were before coronavirus came into existence. I sometimes worked until midnight serving customers. Most of my customers are the guys in the bus garages. They come here after closing for the day to eat noodles and drink tea. Like I said earlier, I make more than N30,000:00 on days when a lot of them come.

How many hours do you work in a day? 

I was always open by 5 in the evening and close by 11 p.m. or 12 p.m. That was 8 hours of work. But now it is only 4 hours because I open by 5 p.m. and close by 9 p.m.  

How much do you spend in a day? 

I spend N1,000-N1,500 daily. I mostly spend on the business to buy minor things that I might need while cooking. That is oil, pepper, and other things.

Have you ever opened a bank account?

Yes, I did that a long time ago. I have a bank account with FirstBank.

Do you have savings and how much do you save in a month? 

Saving is a necessary thing for me. I save daily from the business. I save about N1,500-N2,000 depending on how much I make in sales for that day. I then take the money to the bank on Friday to deposit in my account so I do not spend it unnecessarily. Thank God I have savings.  I wonder how I would have survived the lockdown.

Are you married or looking forward to getting married?

Yes, I am married. I got married in 2018. My wife lives with me in Lagos too. She came to join me late last year. Normally she would have been at home with my mom but I just did not want to put any burden on my mom. So I told her to come down to Lagos. It is better that we live together.