‘I hawk cooked rice because I don’t want to be a fulltime housewife’

Naomi Oseghale hawks cooked rice in a wheelbarrow in Daki-Biyu, an urban slum in Abuja. She said the high number of people in the business affects her profit, adding that sometimes she would return home with a lot of leftover.  How long have you been in this trade? I started hawking cooked rice in a […]

Naomi Oseghale hawks cooked rice in a wheelbarrow in Daki-Biyu, an urban slum in Abuja. She said the high number of people in the business affects her profit, adding that sometimes she would return home with a lot of leftover.
 How long have you been in this trade?
I started hawking cooked rice in a wheelbarrow in 2009. I was selling roasted yam at Jabi before I moved to Daki-Biyu, where I started hawking cow leg and tail pepper soup. From there, I used a big cooler to hawk cooked rice. I have to move with time. I wake up by 5:00a.m,, cook, then rest for some minutes before hawking. Depending on patronage, I return home before 6:00p.m.
 What happens when you do not sell everything you cook?
My children eat it. They are used to eating rice at night.
 How lucrative is the trade?
The business is moving, but since more people are in the same line of business, I am not selling as I normally did. Then, I used to cook almost half bag of rice daily, but now, I cook a small quantity.
 What are your challenges?
The high cost of rice. A bag of rice during Jonathan’s administration used to be about N8, 000, now it is more than N11, 000. Those that sell said the rise in exchange rate led to the increment. Even the price of vegetable oil has increased. It used to be N5, 000, now it is N7, 500. 
How is this increment in prices affecting your business?
I make lower profit because I am still selling a plate of rice at N200. I am just managing because it pays more than sitting down at home as a fulltime housewife.
 Why can’t you be a fulltime housewife?
I still have a mother and sisters. Can my husband give me money to help all of them? He can give me money to eat, but I need to fend for my parents and siblings.