Inside 80-year-old Kofar Wambai tannery

Historically, trading of hides and skins was among the major businesses in which  Kano distinguished itself for many years. It is a common scenario to see settlements in the state bearing the name of tannery (majema), tie and dye (marina) and weaving centres (masaka), among other local businesses.  For a first time visitor to the […]

Historically, trading of hides and skins was among the major businesses in which  Kano distinguished itself for many years. It is a common scenario to see settlements in the state bearing the name of tannery (majema), tie and dye (marina) and weaving centres (masaka), among other local businesses. 

For a first time visitor to the Kofar Wambai tannery, the place would look like an abandoned refuse site, but, with a closer look, one would come in contact with various leather products from hides and skin of various animals.

The present tannery was established about 80 years ago. Originally, the tannery was located at Yan mota where it served merchants that were conducting their business at Rimi and Kurmi markets, as well as the famous emir’s palace mosque. The former location of the tannery is still being called Gidan Majema which literally means a home of tanning.

The common sight at the tannery was that of various skins of snakes, crocodile among other wild animals being dried under the scorching sun. Traditional tanners typically work with raw skins of wild and domestic animals including lion, hyena, goats, cows and sheep, which are obtained through various channels and at favourable prices. 

It was a very busy scene when our correspondents visited the place. Young able-bodied men were seen practising various aspects of tanning; some were busy spreading the tanned and coloured skins, others were tanning skins by removing the unwanted particles, and some were engaged in mixing skins with a mixture of chemicals in various pits locally called rijiya.

It was said that over 1,500 people comprising young and old, are directly and indirectly earning their living through the art of hide and skin tanning at the tannery.  

Despite modernization, the community did not only maintain the business, but it also uses traditional methods of tanning to process various skins of animals. They use potash, ashes, and birds’ faeces for tanning.

Ahmad Sani was among the few youths that are working at the tannery, and he told Daily Trust on Sunday that though he only spent one year in the business, it is  a gainful and dependable trade. 

“My plan is to become expert in the skin processing business within a short time. Although my father has never practiced this business, I have a passion  for  it, and I am lucky my uncles are coaching me very well,” he said. 

A  JSS 3 student at Warure Secondary School Kano, Sani, said he was introduced to the business by his maternal uncles, who had been in business for years before he joined it last year.

“I joined the business because I wanted to have something doing; I don’t want to be idle. I am coming to the tannery in the morning, while in the evening, I go to school. I am earning between N500 and N700 on weekends and N200 to N300 on week days,” he said.

He said: “My main job at the tannery includes washing of animal skins, spreading tanned skins under the sun and sweeping the tannery compound after working hours. I started with mild jobs because I am still young, and some of the activities associated to tanning required strength.” 

The 17-year-old student explained that he was investing his earnings in livestock business in order to support his studies, noting that, “My ambition is to join the Nigerian Army after graduation. I am investing in livestock so that when I grow up, I would have something to support my studies. So far I have three goats and two sheep.”

He added that most of the youths that are working at the tannery are students of secondary schools, who used their extra time to gain something from the small business.  

Muhammad Munzali is another tanner who has spent 30 years in the trade. He told our correspondent that he had benefitted a lot from the small business, as according to him though he is still a bachelor, he had bought all the necessary items he needed for his marriage from the little income  he earned through tanning business.

He explained that though the business was not booming as it was 20 years back, it is still gainful, noting that “many youths are earning their incomes from this business.”

Most of the workers who spoke to Daily Trust on Sunday at the artisan tannery, said their major problem was their inability to get linked with the international business community that deals in leather business. 

One of them, Aminu Ibrahim Kofar Wambai, said: “We have the product with a first class quality grade, but we don’t have a link to markets across the globe. We would be happy if government will encourage us, by providing a link to us so that we can sell our finished products at higher prices. 

“We can’t continue to watch our products being portrayed as someone else’s products. We will also appreciate it if all local tanners will be coordinated  to do their activities under one umbrella. This, I am sure will increase productivity and quality as well as attract broader patronage.” 

Mallam Mustapha Umar is the current chairman of the tannery’s custodians association called Kofar Wambai Multipurpose Cooperative Society. He told Daily Trust on Sunday that operators of the tannery inherited the art from their parents, who also inherited it from their forefathers.

Umar lamented that due to the establishment of modern tanneries across the state, the tannery’s activities had been reduced drastically, adding that despite the fact that about seven million cattle are being slaughtered annually in Nigeria, majority of the hides from cattle are used to produce ‘pomo’ (the local term for edible hide). 

According to him, the local tanners were getting animal skins from Republic of Benin, Niger Republic and the neighbouring states of Gombe, Adamawa, Bauchi and Jigawa, among others.

When asked where they take their finished leather, the chairman said: “We operate with some agents that serves as middlemen, and our locally processed leather are usually taken to Europe and Middle East countries.  They also take the products to some African countries, including Morocco. The problem we are facing is that, our products are being presented to the world as Moroccan leather. The thing is that we are not being supported by government and our businessmen are not interested in this kind of business, otherwise, no country would claim ownership of our finished products.

“We are still managing the business because this is what we have inherited from our parents. But to be honest with you the economic situation isn’t helping us. I am appealing to the state government to extend its empowerment programme by assisting tanners with some loans that will help them boost their business.”

When asked whether they have received any intervention from the federal government, considering the fact that various ministers have visited the place, according to the visitors’ register, the chairman said: “They only came here to see what we are doing, that’s all. We have not for a day received any intervention from government at all levels. 

“The only intervention we received was from a DFID funded programme Growth and Employment in States (GEMS) some years ago. They came and renovated our tannery for our safe usage and we are grateful to GEMS for the gesture.”

Similarly, the Vice Chairman of the Association, Malam Bashir Muhammed, said the irony of the business of hides and skins was that some of the wild animals can be reared as farm animals. 

He cited an example with farmers in Benin Republic, who were actively engaged in the production of Tundra snakes for the purpose of supplying its skin to tanneries.

“I remember when the former Jigawa State Governor Saminu Turaki tried to introduce the idea of Tundra snake farming in the state, people rejected it, but now we are buying the skin from Cotonou, the capital of Benin Republic,” he said.

“We are ready to invest in the farming of Tundra snake, but our problem is the market. We would want to be introduced to the global market so that we can take our finished leather and it will be sold at a higher price. We are determined to compete with other businessmen in this business because our leather is of high standard,” he concluded.