‘Day I made my highest newspaper sales’

Bookshelf: How old are you?Abbas Umar: I am 18 years old.Bookshelf: How did you become a vendor? Umar: My brother brought me from Kano to Abuja and for two days we looked for what I could do. We met my present boss at Area One, who said a place could be found for me in […]

Bookshelf: How old are you?
Abbas Umar: I am 18 years old.
Bookshelf: How did you become a vendor?
Umar: My brother brought me from Kano to Abuja and for two days we looked for what I could do. We met my present boss at Area One, who said a place could be found for me in his business and I was given a place to stay with other vendors. I was told we would set out as early as 5: 30 every morning. By 5: 00 am, we would go to the point where we are supposed to pick the newspapers and make our way to where we hawk them. But on my first outing as a vendor I lost my way.
Bookshelf: How do you source for the newspapers?
Umar: Our boss leaves home as early as 4: 30 in the morning to collect the newspapers from where they are produced. Then he would come back and share them to seven of us. I hawk the newspapers – even after my colleagues retire – until almost seven o clock in the evening.
Bookshelf: Why did you choose this particular business?
Umar: Truly because it is easy and I make a substantial amount of profit from it.
Bookshelf: How much do you make in a day?
Umar: When I am given 90 or 80 copies of newspapers, I sell at least 80 or 70. I make a balance of N15,000, but during the weekend, I make as much as N25,000 or N23,000. So, I make a profit of N3,500 or N2,900 in a day. Per copy, I am given N20 as my percentage and during the weekend N30.
Bookshelf: How do you market your newspapers?
Umar: If I see a potential customer, I approach him or her with copies of the newspapers even when I am not called. This makes some to purchase although they sometimes call out for copies. 
Bookshelf: Do you know how to read and write?
Umar: Yes I do. But I am still learning how to speak English. I may not be able to pronounce some words correctly but I try. I rounded off senior secondary school. 
Bookshelf: For how many years have you been in this business?
Umar: It is almost two years now. I have been admiring this kind of business for a while before I started.
Bookshelf: What headline has held your attention the most since you started selling newspapers?
Umar: When Governor (Patrick) Yakowa died.   
Bookshelf: Why?
Umar: Because that was when we made a lot of profit selling newspapers.
Bookshelf: What are your plans for the future?
Umar: I do not want to do any other business in the future, because I am so used to this one. What I would like is to have those who would later work under me selling newspapers just like I do now.
Bookshelf: What happens to newspapers you are unable to sell at the end of the day?
Umar: I simply take them back to my boss. I give him the cash balance and he in turn returns the newspapers to the producers.
Bookshelf: What do you do with your time when you are not on the streets selling newspapers?
Umar: I pray, have my bath and hang out with friends.   
Bookshelf: When did you have your worst day in the business?
Umar: When a car hit me and I did not make much money. My boss took me to the hospital and for a week I did not come out to work. 
Bookshelf: Your best day?
Umar: I cannot say precisely, but mainly Fridays and generally when it is weekend.  
Bookshelf: Does the money you make meet your daily needs?
Umar: My boss and an elder of mine have advised me on how to manage my income. I do that and also take care of my parents’ needs.
Bookshelf: What advice can you give to those aspiring to enter into your kind of business, especially youth such as yourself?
Umar: They should persevere and also remain at their posts so that customers would get used to their presence and patronize them.