‘How mai wanki biz makes clean cash for us’

Its technology age, but in Area One, Abuja, some men prefer to wash clothes manually and claim it’s the real deal. Blankets, clothes, soak  up in large basins before an apartment block in Area One while Abdullahi Yakubu rests on a bench. With him are a couple of colleagues also in the business of washing […]

Its technology age, but in Area One, Abuja, some men prefer to wash clothes manually and claim it’s the real deal.
Blankets, clothes, soak  up in large basins before an apartment block in Area One while Abdullahi Yakubu rests on a bench. With him are a couple of colleagues also in the business of washing and drying clothes for a living. It’s what sustains their families and pays their bills.
When a customer comes, they get the person’s details, which includes name and phone number, and then they ask how many shirts and trousers are there and write it down. The clothes are usually made up of kaftans, shirts and babban riga. They hardly work suits.
Yakubu explains that customers come up with a variety of requests, which include wanting a starch job to go along with the wash. “We do a set for N400, but it’s N300 without the starch,” he says, adding that sometimes they give a discount on their services, as low as N200. For a blanket set, however, they charge N1000 and N400 for something light.  
Some customers request them to use soap only, or both soap and detergent. “Whatever you want us to use on your clothes is what we will use,” Yakubu says, adding that they do things step by step and don’t wash people’s clothes in the same basin. When they are done with one person’s they do another. In the same way, they wash, iron and dry and keep the clothes separately. In this modern times where machines do the trick, Yakubu and his team do everything manually and most times iron the clothes through the night.
Since electricity and drying is an issue, these ‘masu wanke’ (washers) as they are called in Hausa, tell their customers collection date is tied to rain and electricity supply. But, everything being equal, with adequate power supply and sunny weather, they promise a maximum of three days. If not, it may take a week. “It’s difficult to keep up with a deadline now that electricity is really epileptic,” Yakubu says, adding that when they are done they simply place a phone call to the customer.
Their customers are many and come from different parts of Abuja. Aside those who patronise them from Area Two and Area Three, some come all the way from Gwagwalada.
“It’s all about preference,” Yakubu points out “Some prefer the manual wash compared to using machines. Machines actually wear-out clothes fast. I worked with a machine a long time ago.  You pour a lot of water in the machine, put in a bar of soap or detergent in it and close it. Then you set the time. When it’s done, you put it in the compartment that wrings them.”
Behind where Yakubu and his crew work, Shu’aibu Hamza also keeps busy. Once a labourer who cleared grasses around the premises of people’s houses for a price, he found in washing clothing a worthy occupation. Now he works under a boss who pays him N35 out of every N250 they make. “I wash and my boss irons,” Hamza says as he spreads clothes across a line, adding that he has been on the job for two years so far.
Business is certainly not bad for these ‘masu wanki.’ Yakubu says that sometimes, in a day, they get as many as 50 clothes or 20, even though at other times, just like it is with most businesses, they may not get a single item of clothing to wash.
Yakubu started washing clothes for a living a long time ago, for up to 20 years. “I started in Area Two and later relocated to Area One when my brother died,” he explains, adding that this is what has sustained his family.  Now they have children that rinse and they, the grown-ups iron them. “So we pay them and get our share.” 
It’s surprising how the men are able to wash and dry clothes within the premises of residents living in blocks of apartments. But Yakubu explains that relationship built over time is the key. They earned the trust of residents by helping them with chores they ordinarily are unable to do. With this relationship they were able to start a business there without a problem. “Some of us have been here for about 30 years, but I started five years ago. My brother was here back then. It was when he died that I relocated,” Yakubu says.
While money appears to be the focal point of most businesses, Yakubu recalls how he is always happy when a customer is satisfied with their work and pays them.