Here’s another ‘Ajaokuta’ that brings fortunes to Maiduguri youths

Usually, they chant some words in local dialects to attract attention, looking out for household utensils like plates, old aluminium pots, spoons, old car batteries, and generally all kinds of metals. They even go for vehicle and motorcycle spare parts which they buy from mechanics. Their business is referred to as ‘Ajaokuta’, the name of […]

Usually, they chant some words in local dialects to attract attention, looking out for household utensils like plates, old aluminium pots, spoons, old car batteries, and generally all kinds of metals. They even go for vehicle and motorcycle spare parts which they buy from mechanics.

Their business is referred to as ‘Ajaokuta’, the name of a town in Kogi State where the famous Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mill Company (ASC) owing to deposits of iron ore in the locality is estabilshed. In this place metals are refined for various uses.

The ‘Ajaokuta’ traders have since become famous with that name in Maiduguri and as they approach houses, they shout at the top of their voices, losing some words; locals clearly identify them by their voices and soon, parents and children desperately begin to search for metals to sell to them. Some mothers scream at their children, directing them to look for items to be sold. In some instances, the kids try sneaking out old metal stuff to sell for some naira notes. In other cases, the children carry the stuff with parents, consent but, in most situations, the children do the bargaining for themselves because little money is at stake. Some parents use that way to settle pestering kids who want few notes for sweets. So the pestering kid is told to pick some old stuff and deal with the ‘Ajaokuta’ traders to get N5.00 or N10.00.

The youths in the business usually waste no time in buying the old stuff. They usually have a master they are working for and the master gives them money to go and be buying the unused items for him while he in turn buys the metals from the boys, stock pile them and sell the items to other dealers who transport it with trailers to other parts of the country. These boys usually operate in densely populated areas like Gwange, London Ciki and move around to other parts of Maiduguri which are inhabited by low income earners. Perhaps they know that the big men and their families in the highbrow areas wouldn’t trade metals for paltry sums of N5.00 or N10.00.

The shops of the ‘Ajaokuta’ dealers are scattered around Gwange-Bulabulin axis in the metropolis. In this place the metals are weighed with a measuring scale to determine how much they cost.

The ‘Ajaokuta’ traders operate in open space where the iron are stock piled and a measuring scale that is used to weigh the metals is placed somewhere around the place. According to a dealer who does not want his name in print, they pay N15, 000 annually to the state and local government as tax and also pay for the land they operate on. He said the business of ‘Ajaokuta’ is a big business with a lot of prospects.

He said “People do underrate this business but there is a lot of money in it, I  know of somebody who started from moving from house to house to buy iron but now he has a place where he operates and sells to those that transport it in trailers to other part of the country. I salute the courage of youths who are in this business, they do not have to depend on anybody because they can cater for themselves and even their parents with the proceed they are making from this business. Unlike some of their counterpart who see this job as dirty work and engaged in criminal activities because of their quest to get rich quick. I will advise them to join this business instead of staying idle which can lead them to crime.”

Muhammed Abuya, 24, one of the youths in the business told Kanem Trust that he joined the business five years ago and still serving under a master.

“We used to go round from house to house to ask for those people who want to sell and most of our customers are women whom we bought some unused household utensils from. We also buy condemned motor spare parts from auto mechanic technicians. We are given some money by our masters to buy the goods for him and he settles us because we are still serving under him. I used to make up to N500 to N1000 in a day depending on the market situation. The metals are hanged in a measuring scale to determine the prices. Each kilo of metals is sold for N10.00 and we re-sell it for N12.00 to N13.00 but motor spare parts and other heavy iron are more expensive than the other ones ” he said.

According to Abuya, people come from different parts of the country to buy the metal in bulk, load it in a trailer and transport it to places like Lagos, Ibadan, Warri, Kaduna, Abeokuta, Kano and Kaduna. He explained that to transport a trailer with 30 tonnes of iron to Lagos would cost N250,000 and N150,000 to Kaduna.

There are others in the business whose job is loading measured metals  into waiting trailers and ‘sometimes they even escort’ the trailer to destinations in other parts of Nigeria. One of the boys who simply identified himself as Goni said the major problem they face on the road is extortion by the police.

“We do not usually face any problem when we are still in the north here but immediately we get to western part of the country we encounter ten to fifteen police check points and in each of these check points we are made to part with between N500 to N1000,” he lamented.

Iliyasu Sumaila who is in his early thirties is also engaged in the business. He told Kanem Trust that after serving his master for more than six years, he is now on his own doing the business. While narrating the impact of the ‘Ajaokuta’ on his life after graduating from his master three years ago he said; “I now sell in bulk and I have seven boys working for me. Am now a married from the proceed I made from this trade.”

Young boys of school age and the alimajirai who are traditional Islamic students are not left out in this business. These groups usually scavenge for iron in refuse dumps around the metropolis and whatever they gather make money for them in the ‘Ajaokuta’ business. They mostly move in groups while plying their trade and were seen hanging around the shops when this reporter visited the place.

Aside from the economic fortunes of ‘Ajaokuta’ business, the traders in a way help in environmental protection of Maiduguri or indeed the entire Borno State because one hardly finds metal objects littered around in the metropolis- people either keep to sell or ‘Ajoakuta’ traders pick the rubbish at sight. In addition, the ‘Ajaokuta’ traders also provide the necessary raw materials for black smiths, steel rolling companies or other manufacturers who refine these metals into many finished products.