The Donkey’s Journey To Extinction

Madam Margaret Negbenebo, alias Madam Jaki ( Jaki means donkey in Hausa), sat at the edge of the veranda of the several-room block, apparently the administrative block of the business enterprise, this Wednesday afternoon, counting the cost of trade with her accounts clerk, sitting on a chair behind a table, perusing through a ledger and […]

Madam Margaret Negbenebo, alias Madam Jaki ( Jaki means donkey in Hausa), sat at the edge of the veranda of the several-room block, apparently the administrative block of the business enterprise, this Wednesday afternoon, counting the cost of trade with her accounts clerk, sitting on a chair behind a table, perusing through a ledger and tallying figures, cancelling and adjusting others.
Her looks exuded immense experience in the donkey trade, having transacted it since 1975, when she used to buy a donkey at N40, and founding, perhaps, the most popular donkeys’ market cum abattoir in the South-south region of the country. She is so experienced and popular in the annals of the trade in the circle of Onitsha, Benin and Warri, seasoned in its safeties and risks, gains and losses and sweets and sours, that she has come to earn the popular name, Madam Jaki.
A couple of metres along the edge of the veranda leftwards sat another accounts clerk on his own table, busying on his own ledger. He works with Mr and Mrs Brown, a renowned couple in the trade with decades of experience.
Farther leftwards down the slope towards the valley in the open-space abattoir, a few butchers were busying on a few emaciated donkeys they had just slaughtered.
In Madam Jaki Slaughter, that is the name of the popular donkeys market cum abattoir, alone, about twenty donkeys are slaughtered daily, depending on demand from within Agbor and other nearby towns in the region, but, according to Madam Jaki herself, “certainly not fewer than ten daily.”
Along the valley to a safe distance, stretch several ranches, some of them virtually empty and others confining a few tens of the beasts. The huge supplies stocking the ranches would have been exhausted fast over the previous few days, with buyers trooping there from Onitsha, Benin, Warri and some other neighbouring towns and villages.
 A group of donkey buyers sat expertly-patiently in a shade a few metres to a group of donkeys they had been bargaining for with Madam Jaki and her co-directors in the enterprise.
It was about noon and the donkey business tycoons didn’t seem to want to accept the prices offered by the single buyers, but the buyers had mastered the trick of the trade, waiting expertly, patiently to the late afternoon or sunset when the beasts would have emaciated substantially for lack of sufficient food, and the wisest thing for Madam Jaki and co to do then would be to succumb to the buyers’ side of the bargain, lest the beasts emaciated further to a point at which the tycoons would incur unacceptable losses, especially if they emaciated much further overnight.
We had journeyed with a truck of about 30 beasts for about a day and a half from the Nigeria/Niger Republic border town of Jibiya in Katsina State, one of the most popular livestock market in Northern Nigeria, to Agbor, Delta State, crossing several veterinary-revenue-collectors hurdles and law enforcement agents’ ‘check points,’ most especially between Lokoja and Agbor, which ensure that there is no sweet tale to tell about the journey.
Contrition twined me like a snake, if I may borrow this expression from the poet, when I came upon the wake of the donkeys’ clan throughout the journey. The meek herd was journeying to extinction; I was journeying to see how.
Since time immemorial, the donkey has been the most reliable beast of burden to the larger population of Northern Nigeria, as it is in all other human societies where the beast exists. Especially before the advent of motor vehicles, like Lorries and pickup vans, and their leaping increase along modernly constructed roads, the donkey was used for large-scale haulage of merchandise by merchants in their trading rounds to markets across vast regions.
At home, the farmer also used it to haul manure and other related requirements to the farm and the farm produce to his barn at home after harvest. Throughout the farming season it was a main facilitator of economic achievement for the peasant farmer who would also hew firewood in the bush and hoist bundles of it on the beast for sale in the village or town. It was virtually unheard-of that humans ate donkey meat. Wherever the carcass of a donkey was found in the bush, the immediate conclusion was that it was killed by hyenas which ate some of its parts.
Since the early 1970s, however, the beast has transfigured to being one of the main suppliers of meat on the menu of a very large population of Nigerians and, although the consumption of donkey meat may be in a much larger scale in some sections of the country than in others, the consumers seem to be increasing in droves among communities where every meal must go with pieces of meat and the excuse of unaffordable price sounds flimsy for taking meals most times without, at least, a piece of meat.
Although the edibleness or otherwise of the donkey, or any other beasts at all, is a matter of religious or traditional approval or prohibition. Certain economic and population factors over the last four decades transformed the donkey, a beast of burden over the ages, to being an edible and most affordable meat for a teeming population of Nigerians.
Nigeria’s population has leaped over the decades, from just over 60 million in the early 70s through the over 80 million in the 80s to the officially declared 140 million now. This population increase did not seem to have come with a commensurate increase in the affording power of the larger section of Nigerians who believe they must have their meal how they want it, most times.
With the population increase came increase in the demand and consumption of meat, a soaring demand, the main sources of meat – cattle, sheep and goats – have practically proved incapable of keeping pace with, on account of the soaring prices of their meat. The towering price of the meat of these animals weakened the affordability of the swelling throngs of Nigerians for it, forcing thronging consumers to resort to the donkey, an animal in the population class of cattle, sheep and goat in decades past in Northern Nigeria.
Most households among the low-income population, most low-level restaurants popularly called Bukas and cart-pushing food vendors, where most eating-out low-income earners resort to, especially in most of the southern states, now increasingly rely on the donkey for meat.
“For most people, with your N1000 you cannot buy the cow meat to prepare the pot of soup to last for days for your family, but with your N200 or N300 you can buy enough Jaki meat that can prepare that pot of soup for you,” Madam Margret maintained, stressing, “more people now want Jaki meat more than cow meat, because it is the meat they can afford.”
According to Eke Okechukwu, my commercial motorcycle rider (Okada) round Onitsha, “Our people were not eating donkey meat before the recent decades. It was forbidden. Now we eat it because it is the meat most can afford. If you buy Agidi and pepper-soup in Onitsha, you are eating Jaki meat. If you buy fried meat from women hawking it in plastic bucket along the streets in Onitsha, you are eating Jaki meat.”
The observation by Malam Ahmadu, a Hausa trader in Onitsha, that donkey meat is consumed even in Kano and other Northern cities and towns (albeit perhaps by communities which are not traditionally or religiously prohibited from the consumption), a sharp departure from the dominant age-old religious or traditional culture, may suffice to show that the consumption of donkey meat across the various sections of the country is only a matter of degree, not an all or nothing occurrence.
A very large population of Nigerians and the donkey are, therefore, both victims of the sharpening conflict between the demographic and the wherewithal factors occurring in the broad process of the dynamism of cultures, which begets a culture of what and what not is lawfully eatable, traditionally or religiously, in the various circumstances.
This widening situation of demand and consumption notably conflicts with the known traditional reproductive capacity of the donkey. In West African societies, at least, the populations of cattle, sheep and goat are known to be much higher than the population of the donkey. They are also observed as reproducing more and in much higher frequency than the donkey.
The reproductive capacity of the donkey lay prostrate under the soaring demand and consumption of its meat by Nigerians, especially over the last three decades. The higher the population of donkey-meat-consuming Nigerians, the more the donkey disappears from the streets of rural communities and the household of the peasant farmer in Northern Nigeria.
In Nigeria, the population of the donkey seems depleting towards extinction.
With the current speed of the depletion of the population of the donkey in Northern Nigeria, as, according to Alhaji Hamza, the Sarkin Shanu (the traditional chief livestock superintendent) of Dambatta, Kano State, “they have all been devoured by humans,” weakening the guarantee for sufficient supply for the teeming consumers, Nigerian merchants now forage across the sections of the vast West African region, to as far as Mali, Burkina Faso down to Niger Republic, to import donkeys, as they do, cattle, sheep and goat, for consumption by Nigerians.
Malam Zubairu Bichi, a North-South kola-nut merchant explained the reason for donkey owners selling the beasts for whatever reason.
“The age-old essentialness of the donkey, which is haulage, has hugely shifted to modern vehicles of haulage, like pickup vans, motorcycles and wheelbarrows,” he maintained.
Malam Zubairu explained further: “In times past, when there were no such vehicles, or they were very few, however huge was the quantity of a farmer’s farm produce, he would contract donkey owners in the community to evacuate them home for him. The grains and other properties merchant would also rely on donkey owners to transport his goods to the market. With the advent of these modern vehicles of haulage, and in sufficient quantities in most communities, which can haul your goods in a much huger quantity, in a much shorter time to a farther distance than the donkey, even if the goods are many truck loads, from the farms or anywhere, donkey owners ceased to see much use in the beasts they possess. What then do they do with them? Sell them off of course.”
Merchants claim that they carry no fewer than five trucks weekly to Marabar Ida in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State, the acclaimed largest donkey market cum abattoir in Northern Nigeria, some even claim, in the entire West Africa. It is also claimed that no fewer than four trucks transport smoked donkey meat out of the three abattoirs there to other parts of the country weekly.
There are no fewer than ten popular donkey markets in Northern Nigeria, including Jibiya and Mai Adua in Katsina State; Dambatta in Kano State; Illela in Sokoto State and Gadar Maiwa in Bauchi State, serving such Southern markets as Agbor and other surrounding cities and towns in Delta, Edo and Anambra states; Obolo and Enugu in Enugu State and a few other markets in Ebonyi State.
With the rising ‘taste’ and affordability of its meat among Nigerians, the North-South donkey trade, as is the trade of other animals within the broad volume of North-South livestock trade, has its many troubles.
“I have been in this trade since 1975,” Madam Margret began to explain her observations on the increasing consumption of the donkey meat and her experience in the trade.
She reviewed the trade over the three and a half decades, saying, “When I started the business, the price of a donkey was very low. I bought a donkey at that time at just N40 and the biggest did not cost more than N50. Now, we buy a donkey at between N21, 000 and N25, 000. We buy the smallest donkey at between N17, 000 and N18, 000.”
As she called a co-director to join her in the interview, shouting, “Emeka, come now! Na only me dey trade Jaki?” she disclosed that Madam Jaki Slaughter receives no fewer than three trucks of about 100 donkeys weekly. She said sometimes the Southern merchants travel up North to buy the beasts themselves and sometimes they transfer money through the bank to Northern merchants to buy and transport down South for them.
Mr. Brown chipped in: “But even if you go to the Northern markets yourself, the Hausa merchants will do the buying for you. In your position as a Southern merchant, you cannot go there and just begin to buy. A middleman must be there to connect the business. After buying the quantity we need, we then look for a truck to hire to transport them down here.”
Madam Margret took over: “the Hausa merchants will buy for us and entrust their boys with the trucks to convey them here. In the 70s, you would only need between N40, 000 and N50, 000 to go into the business. Now you need at least one million naira to do it successfully. Most times now, we transfer money to the Northern merchants through the banks to avoid losing capital to armed robbers.”
There are very high risks in the donkey trade.
“The weather here in the South is not favourable to the beast, because it is not born and bred in it,” Mr. Brown took a turn again, saying, “the moment they land here, the donkeys begin to emaciate, that is why we sell at any rate. This is the only main problem.”
According to him, “Donkey is very expensive now. The day there are no customers, we suffer in the business. For example, today (Wednesday, August 4), you can see that the market is very dull. But buyers come from Urhobo area (Warri, Ughelli, Sapele and Orerokpe), Benin, Enugu, Onitsha and even Lagos come here to buy donkey. Agbor is the centre of the trade in the region and buyers come from all over.”
Mr. Brown strode away to attend to a buyer and Madam Jaki continued: “However dull the market is, we slaughter at least ten in this abattoir alone daily and consumers from within Agbor town here and Asaba and Onitsha come here to buy the raw meat. We dey chop am here now (she said emphatically in pigeon English), when we slaughter, we also first boil it, then dry it before we sell.”
According to the proprietress of the most popular donkey market in the South-south, “Many people now prefer donkey meat to cow meat, because cow meat is very expensive and donkey meat is very cheap. We poor people who have no money to buy Nama (cow meat), we settle for this donkey meat. At times, donkey meat sells faster than Nama. You can buy N1000 worth of Nama (cow) meat, but you will hardly see it in the soup, but if you buy N200 worth of donkey meat it will be enough for you. You can now see the difference yourself. I can tell you that more people here buy more donkey meat than cow meat because of the affordability. But those who can afford Nama, they buy it. Everyone eats the kind of meat he wants.”
She pleaded: “Government should help to ensure that the price of donkey comes down to ease our business and help us to boost the economy of the country. Because of the high price, look at those customers (she pointed at the buyers sitting patiently in the shade metres away), they cannot afford the price.”
According to her, “If we buy a donkey at, say, N17,000 in the North, before it gets down here, it will have consumed about N3000 in the form of the money we give law enforcement agents. Two army check points, like in Kaduna State, they also want us to settle them, N5000 each check point. There are also highway patrol officials. Sometimes, some law enforcement agents even beat us apart from collecting money,” she alleged.
She continued: “Veterinary revenue collectors collect between N4000 and N5000 per each truck at every gate until you get to Agbor here. In Agbor here, we also settle the veterinary officials, and local government officials receive their own, amounting to between N3000 and N4000. If we add up all these expenses and share them all over the beasts, each Jaki will have N3000. So, add N3000 on what you bought at N17,000, you will arrive at N20,000. And you want to make profit.”
Mrs. Brown was more furious about the travails of the trade.
“From the Northern markets up to Lokoja, there isn’t much problem. Any amount you give out will be received. But from Lokoja to Delta State, you will earmark nothing less than N70, 000. Roadblocks between Lokoja and Agbor here look just like a chain, especially at night. At each roadblock, you will be forced to give between N2000 and N5000. If you refuse to give, they will tell you to park and some of the emaciating beasts will even die,” she alleged furiously.
“Because of the lack of food, before you get here, 20 or 30 donkeys may die on the road because of the numbers of parking. Ten minutes after you are told to park, a donkey will be dying. Federal highway officials are the worst, because at each of their check point, they will tell you to give N5000, mobile police, N2000 and ordinary police, N1000. You have seen this yourself on the way,” Mrs. Brown alleged.
“The trade is very risky. Sometimes after selling between N2 million and N3 million, you may not gain more than N10,000. By the time you are parked at three or four points, many of your donkeys might have died,” the Madam Jaki Slaughter co-director complained.
Alhaji Kalla Musa has been a donkey merchant for 25 years. Now he takes between 25 and 40 donkeys to Ebonyi, Enugu and Delta states from Jibiya in Katsina State in a trading round.
“Sometimes about three merchants join hands to fill a 30-donkey capacity truck, ten each, and take them to any southern market on a trading round because of the hard times. The fattest donkey is now sold at about N13,000 and the smallest may go for between N7000 and N9000. Sometimes you may buy a donkey at N5000,” he offered.
“The law enforcement agents pose more problems to us on our way to the South. We always pay our animal tax to the veterinary officials as the law requires, yet the law enforcement agents insist on collecting money from us,” he complained, explaining, “seven years ago, this problem was more serious. At any of the several check points, you would be required to pay as much as N10,000. These years, you may get to your trading terminus, encountering only five veterinary check points on the way between Jibiya and Agbor, Enugu or Ebonyi.”
Alhaji Kalla said if he bought a donkey at N13,000 and considered its transport fare of N1,500 and the total of monies he paid on it to government officials on the way, it would cost over N15,000 in the Southern market, explaining, “depending on the season, the transport money for each donkey could rise to N2,500” and during the ember months covering the yearly festivities when transportation gets denser across the country resulting in the insufficiency of the vehicles, a truck is hired at a much higher price to transport donkeys to the Southern markets.
“During such festivities in the South, there is more demand for both meat and transportation, resulting in the higher price of the beasts in the Southern markets,” he said, complaining, “Currently, one of our main problems on the way is armed robbers. They disturb us too much on the way, especially between Kaduna and Ajaokuta in Kogi State. This is why most merchants now don’t deposit their money in the bank after selling their beasts. They carry only a small amount of cash on the way. The robbers don’t disturb us on the way down to the markets. They will accost you on your way back after you may have sold your donkeys, thinking that you are carrying the bulky cash along with you. This is how they snatch the whole capital of many merchants, throwing them out of business forever.”
Abdu Garwa is about 40 years in the donkey trade. He complained: “Our main problem now is the scarcity of the beasts, especially during the rainy season when most peasants require the essential services of their donkeys and would, therefore, not take them to the market.”
Abdu Garwa departed sharply from all others on the fate of the donkey in the South, saying, “some people buy the donkeys not necessarily to eat their meat. For example, there are Fulani herdsmen who migrated down south. They buy donkeys there to help them carry load during their migrations.” He believed that a donkey merchant now needs a standard capital of N2 million, complaining that merchants encounter too many check points on the way, “more than ten between Kaduna and any of our terminus,” where they spend too much money.
Alhaji…, the youth leader of the Jibiya market donkey traders association argued that the donkey trade has drastically fallen due to the depreciation of the naira and most Southern merchants have suspended coming up North.
“The beasts are available every time for sale, but the merchants don’t come. In the previous years, we dispatched over twenty trucks of donkeys from Jibiya here alone every week. Now we dispatch only about four. Many merchants have been robbed of their capital on the way and they are now completely out of the business. Many other merchants have been thrown out of business by their fellow merchants who have failed to pay them for the beasts they supplied to them,” he complained.
Sunday Onyeka has been in the donkey trade for over twenty years, shuttling mainly between Enugu and Jibiya, carrying between 50 and 100 beasts from the Northern to the South, saying that he started twenty years ago with a capital of N150,000, but now transacts business with about N2 million. These years, most of his trading shuttles terminate at Marabar Ida, Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State, although, sometimes, he proceeds to Onitsha, Anambra State.
According to Sunday Onyeka, the population of the beast in Nigeria has been exhausted fast and the trade now relies substantially on other West African countries like the neighbouring Niger Republic, complaining, “supplies have fallen drastically now because when we ask, we are often told that where the supplies come from, they say Niger Republic, the currency there (CFA Franc) has appreciated and our naira has depreciated. So the trans-border merchants of the beasts do not have the wherewithal to do sufficient bulk purchase, and the peasant farmers cannot sell at a loss, considering the current strength of the naira. We have exhausted the larger population of the donkeys here. Across the border in Niger Republic the donkeys are in abundant quantity, but the exchange rate is the problem between us and that abundance.”
Salisu Usman has been a livestock merchant for about twenty years and he has studied the donkey trade over the two decades.
“Twenty years ago, there were as many donkeys in this country as there are now cattle, sheep and goats. In every household in most rural dwellings in Northern Nigeria there were donkeys. They were used for every haulage services, and they were also sold at the market,” he recalled.
“However, currently, due to the sale of massive herds of the beasts over the decades, their population has drastically reduced in Nigeria. In the market one used to meet about 2000 donkeys many years ago, one can now meet less than 100, in fact, in many markets, between 30 and 40. There are also Kaita, Dankama, Gurbi and others. All these are known donkey markets where donkeys from within Nigeria and Nigeria Republic used to be converged. This is now a once-upon-a-time tale. We have exhausted the population of our donkeys in Nigeria,” he regretted.
“I heard a merchant telling you that donkeys are in short supply in the markets now because of the depreciation of the naira. Everyone knows that is not true. The truth is that we have consumed the larger population of our donkeys. If the depreciation of the naira is to blame, why is it that most of our livestock markets are well stocked with cattle, sheep and goat brought in from the neighbouring countries? The truth is that we are exhausting all our donkeys,” Malam Salisu posited.
He warned: “Don’t be surprised if you wake up one morning to observe that the donkey is a rare sight in most communities in Nigeria.”