This is Okota, Lagos and Sabiu is a Tomato, pepper and onion hawker. He identifies himself to be from Sokoto.
3 tiny pieces of onions for N1,000. He is kind enough to make it 4 pieces. Ajegunle and the same size of one onion is N250 (slightly not too big).
We have gone through this with Tomatoes and pepper. Onion is taking turns to become unaffordable and off the meal table for too many working class families.
Sabiu, first complain is the scourge of the insurgency or non-state armed actors, who have become a terror to Sokoto and Kebbi; the 2 major identified sources of Tomatoes production in Nigeria according to Sabiu.
Sabiu is clear on their identity, they are Fulani(s), he says. What is not brought into full focus is the danger that desertification has brought to bear on herding and cattle rearing, leaving many with no choice than to turn to rustling, kidnapping for ransom. The long neglect of Agriculture both in terms of providing the needed support and also bringing the wealth of society to be directly involved in large scale production of food crops.
Sabiu, says that is childhood friend just lost his father, and he will have to travel on Monday (6 January). His friend’s father was kidnapped and a ransom of N5 million naira was requested and paid, as well as an Okada worth of N2.5million, a total of N7.5 million. And painfully, they still went ahead and killed him.
They sold everything they had.
Farmland, home utensils and appliances to raise the sum. And still they had him slaughtered. The pressure this piles on their little capital leaves them with no other option than to survive on what is available. Of course, what he didn’t add is the attractiveness of joining the growing numbers of rovering bandits as a cheaper and easier source of income.
The disaster of the state in combatting the scourge. And when it does, it is the standard easy way out of bombing civilians, am claiming victory of gaining one over the terrorists and bandits, not out of a prepared work out plan to action to directly take out by going to their hideouts.
The next point to note from Sabiu’s Theory is the pressure of Area boys and Non state actors Taxation squads at Balogun Market. And so many places all over lagos. The threat of seizing their wheel barrow, and bearing in mind that Tomatoes and pepper are perishable items with a short lifespan, they are cowed to submit to pay and pay.
Then, Lagos with his professional gang of phone and sim thieves. Sabiu says his phone was stolen. And is account emptied. He had to start all over again from ground zero.
Just recovering from the above, Sabiu had to send N200, 000 to his mother back in Sokoto. She is sick and in the hospital. Of course she has been diagnosed with suffering from hypertension, which is largely understandable, given the pressure of the environment in the north of the country.
Sabiu’s theory lastly takes on the pressure of international trade. Call it freetrade if you like. The free movement of goods and services in land Sabiu informs on the woman from Ghana, who comes regularly to Mile 12 food market and buy tomatoes totaling N500 million. And at inflated figures. She was willing to pay double to buy out all baskets of tomatoes in sight.
This the neoliberal policies of liberalisation and devaluation of the Naira, and the fact that neighbouring currencies with a stronger dollar exchange rate value of their own national currency compared to the Naira, can take full advantage to come in, not to invest but to clear out very cheaply essential goods from this end.
Call Sabiu illiterate if you like at your own ignorance. He has from his own experience drawn out clear details of what seems confusing the best of the eggheads of the entire ruling class in Nigeria, even as represented by the Jagabandit crew. The outline economics of capitalism is fashioned for the rich nations against the wellbeing of smaller nations. In favour of Big business and the rich as against the working mases and the poor.
Sabiu doesn’t claim an Oxford or Chicago back certification. His life teaches him all he needs to know. There is nothing but continuous tragedy, if we do not break out from the clutched grip of the IMF/World Bank and choose to spend the wealth of the country on the needs of all as opposed to reserving it to meet the greed for profit by a tiny numbers of private capital merchants nationally and internationally.
