How women artisans jostle for jobs with males in Anambra

It is no longer news that the Nigerian labour market has been over-saturated, an ugly development occasioned by steady increase of unemployed citizens across the country with a corresponding scarcity of job opportunities. Despite calls for diversification to other sectors of the economy, particularly agriculture, many Nigerians, unfortunately, have insisted on either white collar jobs […]

It is no longer news that the Nigerian labour market has been over-saturated, an ugly development occasioned by steady increase of unemployed citizens across the country with a corresponding scarcity of job opportunities.
Despite calls for diversification to other sectors of the economy, particularly agriculture, many Nigerians, unfortunately, have insisted on either white collar jobs or their skills as their major means of survival.
In Anambra State for example, hundreds of thousands of artisans could be seen at various locations across the local government areas of the state, anxiously and patiently waiting for who would engage them in their various areas of specialisation.
Among these artisans, comprising carpenters, masons, painters, plumbers, gardeners, cleaners, are women, some of who are breadwinners in their families, who depend purely on these menial jobs to carter for their feeding, clothing and shelter.
At one of the locations in Awka, the state capital, popularly called ‘Ogbo oru’, these female and their male counterparts, armed with various working implements such as shovels, cutlasses, hoes, diggers, brushes, brooms among others, assemble as early as 6.30am, waiting for prospective clients.
The manner at which these women struggle with their male folks over any passers-by as well as vehicles driving past the area shows clearly the level of frustration of these artisans.
It is more worrisome to observe the disappointment that follows when they are dismissed with the negative response, "I am not looking for a labourer.”
While narrating her ordeal to Home Front, one of the women, who simply identified herself as Agnes Umunnakwe, described the situation they found themselves as frustrating, saying it degenerated as the days go by.
She said some of them, married with children, travel all the way from other neighbouring towns to the area in search of what she referred to as ‘greener pastures”, and some times, were forced to trek back home, particularly, any day they were unable to get a job.
 “Some of us, sometimes, spend a whole week without work. Most of us here are married with children and taking care of them has really been a challenge,” she lamented.
Another woman, Grace Sunday, who claimed she could do virtually anything, including cutting grasses and assisting bricklayers, however said she had a striving business until the current economic recession set in. 
“Only God knows what we are passing through at the moment. Before now, building construction was everywhere and you can get work three or four times in a week which was enough to sustain you for the rest of the week.
“We were charging N2,000 before but we can now collect as low as N600, just to make sure we have something to feed our family. Imagine what would be the fate of someone who doesn’t get hired all through the week,” she decried.
She further said they were not the only ones affected by the ugly situation, pointing at a food vendor whose canteen was located within the area, who she said was also feeling the crunch, as the degree of patronage from them had drastically reduced.
“Before, people used to queue up to buy food from the woman but now, only few customers patronize her,” she said.
While appealing to government to come to their aid by creating the enabling economic environment for more job opportunities, the women said they would do any menial job to make ends meet.
 When contacted, the director, Women Affairs Department under the Ministry of Social Welfare, Children and Women Affairs, Mrs. Ezeanuna Maria, said the state government was not unmindful of the plight of the women challenged by unemployment in the state.
She said although majority of the women were not indigenes of the state, the government had created lot of programmes that captured different categories of them, including skill acquisition and entrepreneurship development.
Expressing displeasure over the unwillingness of majority of them to take advantage of the opportunities provided for their self-sustenance, Mrs. Ezeanuna, however restated the ministry’s readiness to absorb all of them irrespective of their backgrounds.