Meet Kaduna’s grandpa water vendor

I’m still working to avoid burdening my kids’ Daily Trust: What made to become a water vendor? Ahmadu: Poverty is what pushed me to do this business. As you know poverty can make you do any job to make a living. DT: You mean you are doing it to fight poverty? Ahmadu: Yes, you should […]

I’m still working to avoid burdening my kids’

Daily Trust: What made to become a water vendor?

Ahmadu: Poverty is what pushed me to do this business. As you know poverty can make you do any job to make a living.

DT: You mean you are doing it to fight poverty?

Ahmadu: Yes, you should know that, if not why do you think at my age I will be pushing wheelbarrow and selling water. This alone should tell you that an old man needs to live and take care of his family.

DT: I heard you have been in the business for years?

Ahmadu: Yes, but you cannot be rich by just selling water. You can atleast have something in terms of feeding your family and taken care of yourself without necessarily depending on somebody to give you. Nobody at my age would like to suffer by pushing wheelbarrow as a water vendor unless he has no alternative. The money I earned from the business can only be used to feed my stomach and maybe pay my house rent. For instance, I am doing this to enable me pay for my house rent in Bauchi State where my family resides.

DT: What do your children think about your job?

Ahmadu: They asked me to stop the job, but I refused because I do not want to be a burden on them. More so, how much is my son who works with a government parastatals being paid? He is not even being paid regularly and he has to provide for his own family too. If I stay at home doing nothing all my responsibilities would be on him and I do not want that to happen. To me, it will be as if I have become a burden on my children and I hate that. They give me money for Kola nuts, barbing and soap, but I also have friends that will visit me to help them. Atleast, now with the little I earn, I can pay for my rent and even do something for myself without depending on the children. This is why I choose to work.

DT: Why not do a less stressful work especially with regards to your age?

Ahmadu: I wanted to have a different thing to do because the water vendor business should be left for the young. I am old, I know, but for now this is the only business I can find around without needing capital. Although, I tried to beg on the streets on the advised of my hosts in Kaduna, they advised I stop the water vendor business because of my age, but after a week of begging I discovered I cannot even feed myself properly not to even talk of saving. For me, I cannot move around people’s shops begging so I decided to sit by the roadside for passersby to assist.

The truth is I abandoned it when I realized it won’t bring food to my table. With the water vendor I am able to eat good food and even pay for my rent. The good thing about the water vendor is that good Samaritans do assist me each time they see me pushing the wheelbarrow.

DT: What is your advice for the idle youth?

Ahmadu: My advice to them is to stand up and be self-dependent. Let them look for something good to do for a living and not sitting at home. As men we must take the responsibility of our family so as to earn respect in the society.