Working Lives: The Hawkers of Lagos
No form of honest labour should ever be despised. But it is sad to watch grown men and women running after traffic to sell handkerchiefs, soft drinks, sausage rolls etc. The sight, visible all over Lagos, is a graphic representation of the severe underemployment and low productivity the Nigerian economy is mired in. Speaking to the hawkers, Arbiterz discovered that many of them completed secondary school. They are keenly aware that the Nigerian economy, with the second highest rate of unemployment in the world, is not generating jobs, so they are resigned to being hawkers for the rest of their lives.
Francis
“I have already accepted my fate that I will be hawking for the rest of my life, at least just before I get too old. There are no jobs out there. I have been able to pay for my children’s school fees and support my family from this hawking business. There is no need to rent a shop. I just wake up in the morning, say my prayers, freshen up and head out with my goods for the day and God has always blessed me”.
Where are you from?
I am from Imo state. I grew up there.
Tell us about your education.
I went to Government Secondary School Okigwa Road, Owerri. I finished in 2005.
When did you come to Lagos?
I came to Lagos in 2007 to continue hawking.
You started hawking in Owerri?
Yes. Immediately after secondary school. I did a little bit of farm work but that was not bringing in so much income, so I started hawking. I hawked goods in Owerri for about 2 years before I came down to Lagos. My friends and family members who were hawking in Lagos told me that there is a lot of traffic and more money in Lagos so hawking is more rewarding. That’s how I packed my bags and came here.
How much capital did you start with?
I had about N60,000 in savings but I paid N20,000 to the person I moved in with in Lagos, a childhood friend from home in Owerri. So, I started the business with the N40,000 I had left.
How did you work out what to sell, where to get the goods etc.?
I don’t put my focus on just one product, I sell anything that is moving. Today, it could be Gala, tomorrow it could be plantain chips, and the day after could be a new product that marketers want us to help push.
How do you work with the marketers?
They are based mostly in Ikeja and Oshodi. When there is a new product in the market, it could be biscuit or a new drink that they want people to start buying, they let us know. They sell to us at a discounted price of course or give us on credit depending on how long you have been doing business with them. If they have known you for some time, they can trust you.
On which routes do you hawk?
I do not have a specific route I hawk on. Sometimes I could be on Ikorodu Road, or the old Abeoukta Road, that is the Oshodi-Ikeja along and Iyana Ipaja axis. But I mostly hawk on the Ikeja along-Iyana Ipaja axis because it is closer to my house and then there’s more traffic on that route. Ikorodu Road is also always a good route but I do not really like going there because of all these KAI officials that always harass hawkers. Only if they understand that we are only just trying to make a living.
KAI officials are a major hindrance?
Yes. Very wicked people. There was a time I was arrested in the morning around 9 when business is supposed to be moving. They held me in their truck and seized my goods. They kept me for almost half of the day. I had to pay N5,000 for bail. They pocket the money.
On which routes do people buy from hawkers the most?
Difficult to pick a route. Traffic is practically everywhere but each hawking hotspot has its own time of traffic. Over the years, my guys and I have been able to study the flow of traffic and we know where to be at what time of the day. For instance, in the morning, the Ojota axis is the best place to get people going to work just before KAI officials come around 9 am. I sell Gala and plantain chips in the morning. There is no time to have breakfast so people want to have something on the go. I go and order bottled water and soft drinks from my supplier before I am done with the morning shift so that she can chill the drinks for me. I pay a little extra to chill the drinks. In the afternoon, I go to the Iyana-Ipaja axis and hawk cold bottled water and drinks because by then it will be sunny and people will need something cold to drink while in traffic.
Also Read: https://arbiterz.com/working-lives-the-petrol-attendant-who-used-to-hawk-akara/
How many packs of your product do you sell daily?
For Gala and plantain chips, I sell about two to three cartons on a very good day but during the weekends I sell just one carton or two at most. Bottled water and carbonated drinks move faster in the afternoon. When it is hot, I sell four packs of water and drinks.
Do you have any relationship with the companies making the products?
Yes, I do. They deal with us through suppliers. But they also sell to us directly at discounted prices. When some products are near their “best by” dates, we help the companies in selling them very fast, often within a week.
How much do you make in sales daily?
I make an average of N20,000-30,000 on a good day. Drinks bring in more money. But everyone has his/her tactics, some people make more from Gala and plantain chips.
How much profit do you make on each product?
The profit from a carton of gala can be N1,000-N2,000 depending on how much I buy from the wholesaler.
For how many hours do you work in a day?
I work from 6 am to 11 am, this covers the morning rush hour. Then I go back home to rest for about an hour or two. I am out again by 1 pm and finish around 6 pm.
How often do you get harassed by law enforcement agencies?
Apart from the one time I got arrested in Maryland I have not had any encounter with them ever since. I don’t normally go to Ikorodu Road or the Airport side. Before I leave home in the morning, I always pray to God that I don’t meet any KAI official while I go about my business. My prayers are always answered. Some of my guys have had to pay them as much N10,000.
Did you have to register with a union before starting the trade?
Yes, we have an association. There’s always an association for everything in this country. Not everyone hawking is registered. The people that register with the association are those that want to have an affiliation with companies for supplies. The companies require evidence that you are registered.
Also Read: https://arbiterz.com/working-lives-the-kidney-specialist-who-trained-in-3-continents/
For how long have you been doing this?
I started in 2007 here in Lagos. So, that is about 14 years now.
And for how much longer do you see yourself doing it?
I have already accepted my fate that I will be hawking for the rest of my life, at least just before I get too old. There are no jobs out there. I have been able to pay for my children’s school fees and support my family from this hawking business. There is no need to rent a shop. I just wake up in the morning, say my prayers, freshen up and head out with my goods for the day and God has always blessed me.
Tell me about your dreams or plans to venture into something else.
The only thing I have plans of venturing into when I eventually get old is to go back to the village and continue my farming. I have a piece of land I inherited from my father and by the grace of God, before then I would have been able to gather enough money in my savings to kickstart the farming business.
