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TIME was 1pm and the weather was as hot as it could ever be. The putrid smell of rotten materials rent the air. But not minding the unpleasant smell, the young men and women went about their business as if their lives depended on it, digging deep into the rubbish in search of valuables which they wished to dispose for money.
To a large extent, their lives truly depend on scavenging on dump sites. With hot sweat streaming down their bodies and not showing any concern with the several on-lookers, they scramble and sometimes fight over seemingly worthless metals. This is the daily routine of these young Nigerians, many of who are graduates; they throng the popular Ojota refuse dump site in search of their daily bread. While many of them earn their daily bread as scavengers, many more have taken to other seemingly-demeaning jobs like commercial motorcycling and domestic servants, among others. Daniel Emeka, a Psychology graduate from the University of Ibadan, resorted to riding commercial motorcyclist popularly known as okada after his efforts to get an office job failed. He said:
“I graduated in 2010 and searched for job everywhere to no avail. When life was becoming very unbearable, I decided to put the pride of being a graduate aside and took to commercial motorcycling to make both ends meet. It wasn’t easy starting the okada business itself because I didn’t have the money to buy a motorcycle. I was able to raise money from a family friend to purchase a motorcycle that has been helping me to survive,” he said. He blamed the apathy of the government and the culture of godfatherism in the country for the growing rate of unemployment, saying:
“It is so unfortunate that our country is faced with the problem of godfatherism, a situation in which you have to know somebody before you can get a job. “Sometime ago, I went for a job interview, and on getting there, I was asked to provide a note from a reputable person standing for me. Because I could not provide one, I was not even asked anything. It is rather too bad that in this country, you would have to know somebody before you can achieve what you want.”
Though Daniel is not totally happy with his present job, he said it was not a bad idea because it is better than getting involved in criminal activities to survive. “As a Christian, I have been taught not to forget the days of my little beginning. Being a dirty okada man is better than being a clean criminal. I believe that God will elevate me with time,” he submitted. Alice Owolabi is a graduate of the University of Ilorin. As an undergraduate, Alice had lofty dreams of what she wanted for herself. For her, a job in a bank is the most ideal.
Years after graduation, Alice trekked the length and breadth of Lagos without a job. Her prayers were finally answered when she eventually got a job in one of the new generation banks. But while her dream was to work in the mainstream banking, Alice was employed as a cleaner. “I am managing the cleaning job since there are no jobs out there. My intention is to work in the bank as one of the key staff. It is so unfortunate I found myself as a cleaner.
But I am still hopeful that God will change my situation. I will keep praying to God that one day, the manager would be led to look at my C.V and give me an opportunity to work as a staff and not as cleaner,” she said. Wale is 27 years old. The only son of a family of seven, he had lofty dreams of what he wanted to become when he grew up. But much of his dreams of becoming an engineer is fast fading away as he inches towards the proverbial age of 40.
For seven years, Wale has made the dump site his work place, going there every day to make a living. “I started coming here about seven years ago. At the time, it was tough for me to decide, but today I am happy that I can feed myself without looking up to anybody. That is the reason why I am happy.” Indeed, Wale has good reason to be happy. His mother and two of his sisters also eke a living at the dump site. “As a child, I wanted to be an engineer.
I went as far as the model college where I received engineering training. But I could not afford the fees and I had to drop out. Much as I tried, but I realised that I cannot continue to fold my hands and hope that a miracle would happen. That was why I decided to come here and work. I have my mother and two sisters who also work here.” Wale has not given up on hope. According to him, he hopes to go back to school someday.
And towards that, he saves a huge chunk of his earnings. “I will go back to school one day. I started saving money from the first day that I started work here. That is even the reason why I am not married yet. My priority now is to get back to school.” Taye Taiwo graduated from a technical college, majoring in bricklaying, a profession he practised for several years. A self-acclaimed hard worker, Taye is not happy that despite several years of hard work put into his profession, he has not been successful.
To make up for the shortfall in his earnings, he made a trip to a dump site one day. By the end of that day, Taye said he made enough that made him realise that he may have probably wasted his time working as a bricklayer. “I was a bricklayer. But after working for many years without having anything to show for it, I decided to look for another job. When I was working as a bricklayer, I would work and the owner of the job would refuse to pay.
It was like I was working without anything to show for it. So, one day, I decided that rather than die in silence or become an armed robber, I would go and work on a dump site.” More than eight years after making that decision, Taye said he is proud of what he has been able to achieve. “I have a wife and children. I am also able to send my children to school without much difficulty. So, I am sure that I made the right decision to come and work here.“ Taye believes most of the problems confronting man are self-inflicted. According to him, some young men resort to stealing, armed robbery and other violent acts because they regard some jobs as demeaning.
“I can do anything to earn a living as long as it not stealing. I tell you, most of the problems we have are because some people feel ashamed to do some jobs. They feel they are too big to do a particular type of job. Unfortunately, these same people are not ashamed to go into armed robbery. “I am not ashamed at all.
I live in a comfortable house with my wife and children and my neighbours know the type of job that I do. If all of us would do away with pride, we would realise that there is a lot of things that we can do to earn a living without resorting to armed robbery of violent acts.” The stories of the two are not particularly different from several other young Nigerians who have found succour in the several dump sites scattered across the country.
Michael Ajayi works in a factory. He resorted to the factory job after years of fruitless search for a job after graduation. While lamenting the nature of his job, Ajayi said, “I am not happy with the kind of job that I do. As a graduate, I am supposed to be rendering intellectual service to people and not be going through the hard labour that goes with working in a factory. “It is rather sad that the rate of unemployed graduates in the country is on the increase. That is why you find many graduates doing jobs they are not supposed to do.
There is little or no hope for the youth. It is simply by the grace of God that one can be successful.” This is also the case with Rasheed Tajudeen. For over a decade now, Rasheed has concentrated his efforts on making a living by working at the Ojota dump site.
Prior to this time, he had worked with several firms after training as a mechanical engineer. “I trained as a mechanical engineer. After graduation, I tried to get a good job without luck. At a point, I was working with some people who had contracts with the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), but that also failed to bail me out of my
misery.” Rasheed said he finally decided to work at the dump site, at first scavenging, before finally worming his way into the hearts of many truck drivers after he proved his worth as a good mechanic. “After that, the drivers started giving me jobs to do. Since that time, I have been here doing my work without any regret. I tell you, if most of our youths would seize whatever opportunity available to them rather than waste their time running after criminalities, this country would be better.
” Wakil Moshood confessed that he was compelled to earn a living disposing refuse when he realised that he does not want to lose his wife. According to him, years of fruitless search for a non-existent job after graduation forced him to put aside his shame and opted for a life as a scavenger. He is particularly scared of losing his wife to other men who could lure her with the good things of life that he is unable to provide. “The Yoruba have a proverb that a jobless man’s wife belongs to another man.
I went round searching for a job without luck. And I see around me men whose wives engage in extra-marital affairs because their men could not provide for their needs. I cannot afford to go through such experience, so I decided to forget about shame and come here to hustle.”
When Olujide Moyosore Dorcas gained admission to study Business Education at Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, it never occurred to her that she would one day end up as a commercial tricyclist. After her graduation, she went into the labour market with the full hopes of landing her dream jobs. But after several years of combing the street, she gave up the search and settled for commercial tricycle business, a job majorly undertaken by men. “I searched for a job from when I graduated in 2011without any success. When things were getting very difficult, somebody introduced commercial motorcycling to me.
It looked odd to me at the beginning, but I had no option than to go for it. “I first applied to a pure water company at Abule Agba for employment, but didn’t get it. Later, I applied to different schools for a teaching job without any luck. Thereafter, I applied for the post of a manager in a yoghourt manufacturing company in Mushin.
I got the job, but the salary was nothing to write home about, so I had to quit,” she said. She narrated that it wasn’t easy when she started because her friends were not in support of it. “My friends didn’t buy the idea of driving tricycles.
I would have given up because of that, but when I told my dad about it, he encouraged and gave me his full support. “I am not regretting my decision because I am earning enough money to meet my basic needs. I am living well and have no reason to look inferior before my male colleagues at the park. They are very friendly and encouraging,” she explained.
She added that the passengers that patronise her have always admired her and at times dash her their balance. “My advice for those that are jobless is that they should try and find something doing to make both ends meet. This is very important because an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.
If they put aside shame and do something, they would not have to depend on anybody for their basic needs. As I am now, I pay my rent, feed and clothe myself without waiting for anybody to give me a dime.’’ The story is the same with Stella Iroaja. In a chat with The Nation, the mother of three and widow said she does the job to make ends meet. She revealed that she started as an okada rider, which she also used to supply bread to people. After three years of engaging in the business, she saved sufficient money and bought a tricycle.
“I have been running this Keke-Napep business for more than two years, and it is from this business I pay my children’s school fees, house rent and also take care of myself. “As a widow, I have to struggle to take care of my children because there is nobody to fend or cater for my needs. My first son is 21 years of age and he is in university.
It is from this business I pay his school fees,” the Imo State born woman said. She proudly added: “I have my own personal car and it is through this Keke- Napep business I bought it. I am very popular in this business, being the first woman to start such around this area, so I do not face any challenge from either police or LASTMA because they know I am struggling to survive.”
Culled From Nation Newspaper
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