Chronycles

I was sick. Wrapped up like a larva in a cocoon, too tired to argue with my own body. Kemi suggested I go to the general hospital nearby. I refused, but she assured me the service was top-notch, that she had been treated there when she was sick, and that she had zero regrets. Somehow, I believed her, and oh boy. Huge mistake. I should’ve just gone to that private hospital I had in mind. The laundry guy at the house escorted me to the hospital. He’s got some connections there.

I am a commercial tricycle driver in Lagos, and I have been doing this work for about six years. I entered the business because I needed something that could give me a daily income. I applied to many jobs after graduating, but it was either the pay was not worth it or the distance was an obstacle. Driving a keke is not as easy as people think.

I sell vegetables and ingredients used for cooking soup. I have been in the business for about eight years. I sell items like ugu, waterleaf, pepper, onions, tomatoes, okra, and other everyday ingredients. It is not a business that makes you rich overnight. You wake up early, go to the market to buy your goods, transport them to your selling point and spend the whole day trying to make enough money to return home with something.

I have been selling meat at Ketu market for more than four years. I came to Lagos hoping that if I worked hard enough, I would be able to build something for myself and take care of my family. But these days, one of the biggest challenges is no longer finding customers. It is finding enough money to keep the business running after paying the various levies imposed by different people and agencies. I started experiencing the problem gradually.

I am the spokesman of the Abuja-based IDP camps and I double as the coordinator of the Abuja IDPs’ health project. I want to tell you the truth about the IDPs. I arrived in Abuja on 3rd March, 2011. So, I’ve spent 15 years in the camp here. At that time, Southern Borno was not even captured. It was in 2014, three years later, that Boko Haram invaded and captured parts of Southern Borno and parts of Adamawa. Then the number of IDPs increased.

Recently, I wanted to correct something in my CAC registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission. When I spoke to the person handling it, he asked whether I had been paying a certain fee. I told him no. He said that the levy might have accumulated over the years and that I would have to pay it. So that is another payment that is already there. Local government officials would come and ask us to make payments.

I am a roadside trader. I also sell ready-to-eat items. I was born in Lagos and have been living in the city. This business has been my main source of living for many years. It is small, but the effort is heavy because everything is manual — sourcing, processing, and selling. When I first started, I was almost invisible. But the moment I became constant in one location and customers began to know me, I started attracting attention — not just from buyers, but from collectors.

Lagos is where I was married, had my children, and have been living since birth. I sell fresh fish and process them for customers. I get to the market early daily, except on rare instances. Before most customers would arrive, I had already set up for the day’s activity with my sharpened knife and clean, prepared water. Once I set up, business has started. There is no official opening time, no formal structure, except for sanitation day, which runs for a few hours.

I sell bags and fashion accessories in a small stall and have been living in Lagos for over 10 years. I got to Lagos at a younger age while seeking better opportunities. I eventually settled for business after trying to get employment several times but failed. The inability to get a paying job made me settle for business and stand on my own after being an apprentice. I usually buy bags in bulk from markets and from importers and resell them at a price.

I have been in Lagos for many years. I am a mother of three. The eldest is in polytechnic, while the other two are in secondary and junior schools. The prices of goods and services are not only tied to fuel costs. These monies we pay daily are also a determinant, I would say. Why I said that is because I can’t buy a good for ₦100,000, pay multiple fees and you expect I don’t factor these into the selling price. That is actually the reality business owners face. We are all affected by this.