Working Lives is a bi-weekly series that covers the "inside peep" of Nigerians in different occupations.
The interviews also tells a lot about how the Nigerian economy functions (or malfunctions).
https://arbiterz.com/university-of-cambridge-college-nigerian-president/
Ijeoma Uchegbu is Joining Wolfson College, University of Cambridge as its 7th President
Ijeoma Uchegbu, a Professor of Pharmaceutical Nanoscience has been announced as the 7th President of Wolfson College, University of Cambridge
Progress and its discontents
“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” - The Owerri Man Who Came to Lagos Just to Continue Hawking.
Read full story here: https://arbiterz.com/working-lives-the-owerri-man-who-came-to-lagos-just-to-continue-hawking/amp/
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.
“I am hawking just so as I can be able to assist my husband with the bills at home. May be when my kids are close to graduating from the university, I will then think of just getting a shop close to my house and sell in the neighborhood. I will be too tired and old to be running after busses in traffic by then” - The Hawker Who Is Waiting for Her Children to Finish University.
Read her full story here: https://arbiterz.com/working-lives-the-hawker-who-is-waiting-for-her-children-to-finish-university/amp/
May be when my kids are close to graduating from the university, I will then think of just getting a shop close to my house and sell in the neighborhood. I will be too tired and old to be running after busses in traffic by then.
"I was able to get a job the following year after finishing secondary school. I worked as a secretary to one of my dad’s friends who was into fishing. I did the bookkeeping and also made sure the workers bought the right number of feeds.”
https://arbiterz.com/the-okrika-seller-who-worked-as-secretary-for-a-fisherman/
Katangua is a market in the suburbs of Lagos. It is regarded as the biggest market for secondhand clothes, aka okrika, in Nigeria.
"I attended Lagos State Model College and finished in 2004. I was supposed to further my education but one thing led to another and I couldn’t anymore. I got pregnant, my parents lashed out at me, then I got married to the father of my son. That was how the dream to continue school ended.”
https://arbiterz.com/the-okrika-seller-who-specialises-in-office-jackets/
Katangua is a market in the suburbs of Lagos. It is regarded as the biggest market for secondhand clothes, aka okrika, in Nigeria.
"All thanks to my kids. They told me about Instagram and how I could take pictures of my market and sell online. All I did was just pay some money for online promotion and I was getting one or two customers weekly.”
https://arbiterz.com/the-okrika-seller-that-coronavirus-drove-to-instagram/
Katangua is a market in the suburbs of Lagos. It is regarded as the biggest market for secondhand clothes, aka okrika, in Nigeria.
"My husband is late and I have been the only one catering for 3 kids. Two of them are in the university already. The last born is in junior secondary school. I know God will continue to see me through.”
https://arbiterz.com/the-widower-okrika-seller-with-two-kids-in-the-university/
Katangua is a market in the suburbs of Lagos. It is regarded as the biggest market for secondhand clothes, aka okrika, in Nigeria.
"When I finished secondary school, I went to Lagos and got a job. I worked for a hotel for a few years but then I realized I wasn’t going anywhere in life. I was running hard on one spot. So I went back home. My father asked me what I wanted to do and I said I would like to be buying cocoa.”
https://arbiterz.com/working-lives-the-cocoa-farmer-dealer-who-used-to-be-a-waiter-in-lagos/
Working Lives - Cocoa Farmers: I was running hard on one spot. So I went back home. My father asked me what I wanted to do and I said I would like to be buying cocoa.
"If the government can fix these roads and send us doctors, we won’t be disturbing city people. Everyone will stay in their villages and the exchange of goods will be going smoothly.”
https://arbiterz.com/working-lives-the-38-year-old-cocoa-farmer-with-two-houses-and-no-debt/
Working Lives - Cocoa Farmers: "If the government can fix these roads and send us doctors, we won't be disturbing city people."
"I ventured into the business because I couldn’t get a well-paying job after finishing my HND. I ran into my uncle at a naming ceremony and he advised me to go into cocoa farming. I took the advice and I have never looked back.”
https://arbiterz.com/working-lives-the-hnd-holder-cocoa-farmer-who-cant-be-paid-to-do-anything-else/
Working Lives - Cocoa Farmers: "I ventured into the business because I couldn't get a well-paying job after finishing my HND."
"I went to school to a certain stage but later decided to become a farmer. My grandfather and father were farmers. I noticed that they had a better standard of living than people with education. This influenced my decision to become a farmer.”
https://arbiterz.com/working-lives-the-cocoa-farmer-who-employs-beninois-labourers/
Working Lives - Cocoa Farmers: "My grandfather and father were farmers. I noticed that they had a better standard of living than people with education. This influenced my decision to become a cocoa farmer."
"After I graduated from Babcock, my dad was able to use his connections to get me into one of the top radio stations in Lagos. Apart from the fact that my dad helped, I also knew what I was doing. It’s not like I was just a spoilt kid using his father’s privilege to get a job, you get?”
https://arbiterz.com/working-lives-the-oap-who-plans-to-set-up-a-fish-business/
OAP: After I graduated from Babcock, my dad was able to use his connections to get me into one of the top radio stations in Lagos.
"When it was time for post UTME, my brother advised that I put in Mass Communication and not Law. He said it was tough to get admission into UNIBEN law department and that he didn’t want me to take any chances. That was how it all started.”
https://arbiterz.com/working-lives-the-oap-whose-brother-prevented-from-studying-law/
OAP: When it was time for post UTME, my brother advised that I put in Mass Communication and not Law. He said it was tough to get into UNIBEN law department
"My first time on-air was exciting. I wasn’t tense, didn’t feel any form of anxiety nor was nervous at all. It felt like the moment was for me. And this was something I had always wanted to do, so I just kicked in and let it all flow.”
https://arbiterz.com/working-lives-the-unilag-radio-presenter-studying-pharmacology-at-medical-school/
OAP: My first time on-air was exciting. I wasn’t tense, didn’t feel any form of anxiety nor was nervous at all. It felt like the moment was mine.
"After my undergraduate studies, I started sending my CV out to multiple radio stations. I was super confident that I would get a call from one at least, which I did. I got two offers and went for the best one. My interview went so smoothly and I was told to resume immediately.”
https://arbiterz.com/working-lives-the-super-confident-oap-who-wants-to-own-a-radio-station-someday/
OAP: After graduating, I sent my CV out to multiple radio stations. I was super confident that I would get a call from one at least, which I did.
https://arbiterz.com/working-lives-nigerian-students-earning-cool-cash-on-campus/
The Comedian and Compere Ajayi Adekola, a 300L student at Adekunle Ajasin University, explains how he turned his passion into a career that has helped him sustain a financial life in school for the past three years. Can we meet you? My name is Ajayi Adekola. I am a 300 level student of Criminology a...
TOLU: “I have a wife and four children. We used to spend about N6,000 a day at home but now we spend less than N500”.
https://arbiterz.com/working-lives-how-shoprite-taxi-drivers-are-surviving-under-the-lockdown/
Taxi drivers rank high on the list of Nigerians who depend on daily incomes. They have to get out there and ferry passengers about to make money daily. Most of them don’t have a lot of savings – they buy the cars on credit and have to pay down the cost in installment every week. …
“Technically I did not finish secondary school because I did not write the WAEC exam. My father could not afford to pay fees then….My mom sells puff puff in the school I attended back in Osun State. I went to learn tailoring in Osogbo. My boss was maltreating me. I couldn’t take it and decided to quit and leave for Lagos.”
https://arbiterz.com/the-parking-attendants-aka-area-boys-of-lagos-series-part-1/
The Parking Attendants (aka Area Boys) of Lagos Series If you live in Lagos, there’s no escaping the “area boys” aka “allright sir” who pester people for money around shopping malls and eateries. Sometimes looking unkempt, we suspect they could relieve us of our phones, wallets or bags. We...
“Technically I did not finish secondary school because I did not write the WAEC exam. My father could not afford to pay fees then….My mom sells puff puff in the school I attended back in Osun State. I went to learn tailoring in Osogbo. My boss was maltreating me. I couldn’t take it and decided to quit and leave for Lagos.”
https://arbiterz.com/the-parking-attendants-aka-area-boys-of-lagos-series-part-1/
“Immediately the government announced that we should all stay indoors for two weeks, my mom just called me on that Sunday and ordered me to come home. I love my mom so much. I always obey whatever she says. No matter how much of a street boy I think I am. So during the whole lockdown there wasn’t really any worry about surviving. My mom was there for me”.
https://arbiterz.com/working-lives-the-area-boy-still-wondering-why-his-poor-father-married-a-second-wife/
The Parking Attendants (aka Area Boys) of Lagos Series If you live in Lagos, there’s no escaping the “area boys” aka “allright sir” who pester people for money around shopping malls and eateries. Sometimes looking unkempt, we suspect they could relieve us of our phones, wallets or bags. We...
“I was always hanging around Fela shrine. I got to meet new people that introduced me to selling w**d. I then started selling w**d for a while. But the police came there and busted me. I was arrested. Thanks to my sister who looked for the money to pay for my bail, I got out. I had to stop the w**d business.”
https://arbiterz.com/working-lives-the-area-boy-who-would-never-go-back-to-selling-w**d/
The Parking Attendants (aka Area Boys) of Lagos Series If you live in Lagos, there’s no escaping the “area boys” aka “allright sir” who pester people for money around shopping malls and eateries. Sometimes looking unkempt, we suspect they could relieve us of our phones, wallets or bags. We...
“I work mostly at night for the car park job. During the day, I always work for one of the offices in Alausa. I am more or less like an errand boy. I help them go and buy food, polish their shoes, wash their cars and other minor things. So I basically work all day”.
https://arbiterz.com/working-lives-the-area-boy-who-was-training-to-be-a-yahoo-yahoo/
The Parking Attendants (aka Area Boys) of Lagos Series If you live in Lagos, there’s no escaping the “area boys” aka “allright sir” who pester people for money around shopping malls and eateries. Sometimes looking unkempt, we suspect they could relieve us of our phones, wallets or bags. We...
"I had a shop where I was selling wine, beer and other soft drinks. But the government under Fashola demolished my store in Oshodi. I had to look for another source of income since there was no capital to open another shop and continue selling wines and beers."
https://arbiterz.com/working-lives-the-agbo-seller-hustling-for-uni-fees-in-lagos-but-found-a-husband/
The Itinerant Herbal Doctors of Lagos The women selling agbo (medicinal herbal mixtures) divide opinion. Some, including professionals, swear by their skills in curing a variety of ailments, from piles to baby rashes, able to deliver almost instant relief where orthodox western medicines fail. Many....
"All are actually very expensive because I am not selling ethanol. I sell the real deal. The most expensive is the bottle that costs N5,000 but it is now N7,000. Raw materials are expensive now that there is no interstate traveling. It has not been easy for my supplier to come down to Lagos."
https://arbiterz.com/working-lives-the-agbo-seller-spending-n3000-daily-feeding-low-income-children/
The Itinerant Herbal Doctors of Lagos The women selling agbo (medicinal herbal mixtures) divide opinion. Some, including professionals, swear by their skills in curing a variety of ailments, from piles to baby rashes, able to deliver almost instant relief where orthodox western medicines fail. Many....
"Majority of my customers always come in the evening after a long day at work and tell me they need agbo jedi because they have eaten sugary things all week and they don’t want that to affect their domestic performance."
https://arbiterz.com/working-lives-the-agbo-seller-who-left-ibadan-in-sss2-to-join-brother-in-mushin/
The Itinerant Herbal Doctors of Lagos The women selling agbo (medicinal herbal mixtures) divide opinion. Some, including professionals, swear by their skills in curing a variety of ailments, from piles to baby rashes, able to deliver almost instant relief where orthodox western medicines fail. Many....
The Itinerant Herbal Doctors of Lagos The women selling agbo (medicinal herbal mixtures) divide opinion. Some, including professionals, swear by their skills in curing a variety of ailments, from piles to baby rashes, able to deliver almost instant relief where orthodox western medicines fail. Many....
"I was doing very well as a tailor but things went sideways when my mom fell seriously ill. I had to use all my savings to pay the hospital bills. I also had to sell my tailoring machine. I am thankful to God that she is fine now. I am hardly able to save because I constantly have to send money home to my parents and my sister."
https://arbiterz.com/working-lives-the-nurtw-agent-who-spends-all-his-money-on-his-parents/
Working Lives: The NURTW Agents aka Agberos of Lagos The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) is an exceptional union. Its reputation isn’t built on anything related to providing transport services. Rather, most Nigerians associate NURTW with providing politicians with the strongmen wh...
"My dad had to start looking for space for a shop and the rent was ridiculous. Finding a new school for me with all expenses that would have involved was out of the question. I then started mingling with the guys on the streets. That’s how the struggle started for me."
https://arbiterz.com/working-lives-the-nurtw-agent-who-doesnt-believe-the-coronavirus-rubbish/
Working Lives: The NURTW Agents aka Agberos of Lagos The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) is an exceptional union. Its reputation isn’t built on anything related to providing transport services. Rather, most Nigerians associate NURTW with providing politicians with the strongmen wh...
"People just insult you and see you as a low life individual. I am very good carpenter and I won’t just let the knowledge go to waste. I am going to make sure I put it to work and make a fortune from it. This is from my mouth to God’s ears."
https://arbiterz.com/7400-nurtw-agents-saving-open-carpenter-workshop/
The agents we spoke to seem to be ordinary Nigerians who have found themselves selling tickets for the NURTW due to circumstances
7th Floor, Mulliner Towers, 39, Alfred Rewane Road
Ikoyi
101233
| Monday | 08:00 - 18:00 |
| Tuesday | 08:00 - 18:00 |
| Wednesday | 08:00 - 18:00 |
| Thursday | 08:00 - 18:00 |
| Friday | 08:00 - 18:00 |
| Saturday | 08:00 - 18:00 |
| Sunday | 08:00 - 18:00 |
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