‘I’ve been selling onions for 20yrs without initial capital’

Ibrahim Idris, a petty trader in onions in Jos, said life had been good for him even without an initial capital to start up his business in the market. Idris said that once you were sincere you could make a good living without having money to invest in the business, explaining that he has been […]

Ibrahim Idris, a petty trader in onions in Jos, said life had been good for him even without an initial capital to start up his business in the market.

Idris said that once you were sincere you could make a good living without having money to invest in the business, explaining that he has been selling onions for more than 20 years without taking money to buy a bag.

Narrating how he goes about his business, Idris said, “Whenever I come to the market, I go to dealers and ask them to give me a bag of onions on credit to pay them back when I sell. Whenever I sell, I take the money to the dealer and take another one. What remains in every sell is my gain. That is what I have been doing in the market for the past 20 years. I don’t come to the market with money.”

He said dealers could give one the commodity without money once they could trust one. “Your sincerity is what will keep your relationship with them. I have never refused to pay them, so our relationship has been fruitful,” he said.

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Asked what he has been able to achieve with the business, he said, “As small as the business is, I was able to sponsor my marriage and build a small house, where I am currently living with my family.

“I have six children and I sponsor their education. None of them is attending a government-owned school. I thank Allah that I have been able to pay their school fees in private schools from the profit I make from this business,” he said.

He, however, said he had not been able to save money in any bank.