Potiskum girls prepare for future with ridi, tiger nuts

Under Potiskum’s scorching sun, a town in Yobe State known for its bustling commerce and strategic position, an intriguing trend unfolds at military checkpoints and fuel stations.

Teenage girls, most brides-to-be, carry trays of homemade snacks, balanced on their heads or cradled firmly at shoulder height. They weave through the windows of awaiting vehicles to persuade buyers to patronise them, before the traffic eases into free flow.

On the trays are golden-crunchy coconut flakes; mounds of sesame seeds popularly known in the Hausa language as ridi, prepared in both sweet and salty variations; sugar-coated tiger nuts; and neatly packaged peanuts.

A glimpse through the window, one can see how the young girls arranged the snacks in a deliberate pattern to tempt hungry travellers commuting long-distance trips to Yobe, Borno and across the border.

A passenger, Bilyaminu Yusuf, said that for over two decades, he has been buying the homemade snacks from the enterprising teenage girls at different points within the town en route to a journey.

“They help passengers with small sweet bites to keep them going until they get to their destination, and it’s very cheap. It’s an excellent taste. My family always request I bring home these snacks every time I travel,” he said.

But, for these teenage hawkers, these trays of homemade snacks displayed along the Potiskum highway hold the key to their future.

“Buy Ridi, Gangala, Kwakumeti and it’s about providing a choice,” said one of the teenage girls, Lu’ubatu Lawan, selling her snacks with a radiating smile, as she hands over a bag of tiger nuts to a passenger in one of the waiting buses.

Lawan, a 17-year-old, said she was motivated to join the trade by her elder sister, who graduated from the business after getting married last year.

“My parents are poor, and they struggle when they were marrying us off. That’s why female children in our community are often engage in this trade to raise money to buy wedding  items for themselves.

“We hustle to buy our beddings, kitchenware, furniture, e.t.c, that our poor parents can’t afford. It’s not easy, but God is helping us to achieve our desires,” she said.

As the traffic flows, the agile girls move with the vehicles, raising their voices above the rumble of trucks’ engines to market their wares.

Wiping sweat from her forehead after a sprint to reach a departing commercial bus, another teenage hawker, Suwaiba Abdulkadir Musa, said she started the trade last rainy season, purposely to raise some money for her eldest sister’s wedding

“What influenced me to join the trade was a target I had in mind. My eldest sister’s wedding was approaching, but things were not going as planned, so I wanted to surprise her with a gift. That’s how I started selling snacks here,” she said

Suwaiba narrated that with nervousness and uncertainty, the first batch of snacks she sold hopefully didn’t just buy a wedding present,  but her future.

“I later realised that I could still gain surplus to spend and even save. So I continued with the business. Joining this business was the best decision of my life,” Musa said with confidence.

18-year-old Khadija Isa, another seller, told Weekend Trust that she joined the trade six months back and is striving to support her parents from her little earnings from the business.

Khadija said she was introduced to the trade by a friend when she complained that she couldn’t afford a wedding uniform (Anko)

“Other things that attracted me were to save money and buy a phone. I was able to purchase the phone from my profit within a short period of time.

“I used the profit to take care of my immediate needs without resorting to my parents for help. ‘An ideal mind is a devil’s workshop,’ she said.

Khadijah is one of the dozens of young girls making a fortune from the business of selling homemade snacks in the Ari Kime area, making it a communal spirit amongst the teenage girls of the area.

Facing the risk of being unable to marry or being tagged a burden, many girls like Khadija and her peers have taken their destinies into their hands, especially in communities like Yindiki and Ari kime, to secure their future, especially when it comes to marriage.

A visit to Ari Kime community

When our correspondent visited Ari Kime, a community considered home to dozens of teenage female entrepreneurs, houses were built with mud, corn straws and weathered thatch roofs.

However, the fresh scent of the homemade snacks swept through the evening air, while little children and the elderly brought the fresh and hot snacks to the street for sale.

65-year-old Hauwa Muhammad said she started the business months ago after she resigned from her cleaning job at a hospital in Potiskum.

“I started with selling pure water, but these young girls introduced me to the snacks business. I use this business to feed myself and my grandchildren.” She said.

Our reporter observed that, despite living in straw-walled houses that sway with the wind, they speak with the confidence of business owners.

Hauwa Hassan,17, said she started the trade last year and, like others, her target was to buy furniture and kitchenware.

“I was preparing for my marriage last year when my father died, and we had some disagreement with my suitor’s family and eventually canceled the proposal.

“After writing my SSCE exams and stayed at home idle my friend convinced me to start the business.

“It’s profitable; I use the trade to take care of my mother and siblings. I make between N2,000 and N3,000 profit daily,” she said.

Asked if she has the ambition to further her education.

She said yes, “I want to further my education, but the sponsorship is all that matters. I have a new suitor who promised to allow me to further my education after marriage,” she said with hope.

Umulkhair Haruna, notes that it’s a comfortable business.

“I  get at least N2,000 profit from my daily sales. We make these snacks ourselves at home and come to the streets to sell.

She, however, admits that a majority of them joined the business to buy household items as their marriage dates approached.

“Unlike the married women who produce the snack and engage little children to sell for them, the advantage we have is that we, process, package, and take it to the streets ourselves to sell. It’s very hectic, but we enjoy the full benefits,” she said.

Umulkhair said that, despite being poor, the community is very enterprising and needs  every support from the state and federal governments, and well-to-do in the society as well.

“We live in a poor neighbourhood, but created this community business that benefits everyone. If we can get support from the government or philanthropists, the business will flourish,” she said.

She narrates that she recently gave her father money to buy farm inputs by giving him her savings to cultivate his farmland.

“He was surprised when I asked him how much it would cost, and I gave him the money, almost N200,000. I felt fulfilled helping him achieve this dream,” he said.

‘Snacks biz a blessing to our community’

Malam Usman Adam, a father of two girls who are fully into the business, said many parents are proud of the girls

“I’m happy each time I see the young girls in a group, trading on the street. They bring blessings into the community. They are taking care of us, their parents and also saving for their future. Our community now holds our daughters in high esteem because they have proven how productive and supportive they can be,” he said.

Asked if the girls attended any  Western form of education, Adam said, “Yes, mornings are reserved for their school, while the practical business aspects are done in the afternoons.

Adam, who claimed to have a little knowledge of business, said the young girls have developed some supportive clusters.

“They have adopted a traditional rotating savings scheme (adashe) where each girl gets a lump sum to purchase goods once considered out of reach for their families with ease,” he said.

Adam pleaded with parents in the community and society to serve as guides for society by being strict about their children’s education.

“Trust the children. Allow them to learn a trade and pursue their dreams,” he noted.

‘Our struggles’

Speaking to the military at the checkpoints and fuel stations, everyone interviewed commended the enterprising teenage girls on how they went about their daily struggle with humility, dedication and agility.

“Running after vehicles under the scorching sun is dangerous,” said one of the military officers.

Residents in the area who are familiar with the business of these teenagers note that these teenage snack sellers always navigate dangerous and difficult paths just to make a living for themselves while securing their future.

“They just want to ensure that when their time for marriage comes, they have or can afford all they need to walk into their matrimonial homes with dignity,” he said.

However, their life is far from easy; they face the hot afternoon sun, the biting harmattan wind, and the unpredictable nature of road traffic.

Despite these challenges, they undoubtedly contribute to the economy of Yobe’s commercial hub, Potiskum, which owns the largest cattle market in Nigeria and is home to major trailer owners in the country.

In an interview with our correspondent, the president of the Borno State Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (BOCCIMA), Ahmed Ashemi, encouraged small local businesses, especially in areas affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.

He suggested that states and the federal government identify talents and businesses to provide them with training and unconditional grants to expand their income sources.

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