When mothers have to ride ‘keke Marwa’ to survive

“I was supplying eggs in large quantities to my customers as a business to take care of my children after the death of my husband. Along the line, my daughter fell ill and I had to spend over N200,000 on hospital bills. The expenses affected my finances as a result I could not continue with […]

“I was supplying eggs in large quantities to my customers as a business to take care of my children after the death of my husband. Along the line, my daughter fell ill and I had to spend over N200,000 on hospital bills. The expenses affected my finances as a result I could not continue with my egg business. Though I was happy that my daughter survived the illness, life became tough thereafter.’

This is how a middle-aged widow, Madam Olajumoke Bakare, summed up her travail that would later lead her into another business she would have deemed most unlikely. Today, Mrs Bakare can be seen savouring consolation in riding a commercial tricycle, popularly called ‘keke Marwa’ in Lagos. Barely one month in the business, Mrs Bakare appears to have settled in snugly into the male-dominated business as she can be observed doing her work with so much enthusiasm and candour.

The mother of three jovially rides her tricycle in and out of the park situated by the Ascon filling station at the Akilo/Acme road junction, and then taking her turn on the queue, yelling ‘First Gate next turn’.

To the rare woman rider, life is about determination, irrespective of whether it is a man’s job or not.

According to the woman, who became her family’s breadwinner after her husband’s demise six years ago, before now, tricycles in Lagos were driven by men simply because the transport business was believed to be a man’s job. She added that that perception is gradually fading away with the emergence of female competitors.

Bakare narrated how she began the transportation business. “When I could not continue my egg business; I spoke to a woman friend of mine, who is in the commercial tricycle business already, to mentor me. She allowed me to start following her and watch how she was doing it for a while.  Thereafter, I was trained by TVS, a company that sells and services tricycles in Lagos,” she said.

On how she copes with the business and family as a widow, she said, “It’s not easy at all but I have decided to do the work with fun. Finding a way out of gridlocks in Lagos has remained a challenge. We pay N850 for a union ticket and pay N150 for a council ticket, as well as pay N200 for loading on a daily basis. But this is too much; the union should have mercy on female tricycle riders by reducing the amount of money they collect from us so that we can have substantial amounts to go home with.

“Another challenge I face is that sometimes, I am arrested by the police and the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) for one reason or the other. Sometimes, they accuse us of parking where we are not supposed to park.”

Despite the challenges, she said, she is enjoying what she is doing because with it, she is taking good care of her family.

She added that despite being a woman, having passengers has never been a problem since she started the business, as some commuters even prefer to board her tricycle because she is a woman. “My male colleagues too have been very encouraging as they applaud me for doing such an energetic work. They have helped in boosting my morale,” she said.

Saying she prefers supplying egg to the transportation business, she quickly added she is enjoying the transportation business better because she does not need to have money to get a tricycle to ride as in the case of eggs where she needs money to buy some. “For now, I don’t sell eggs again. But if I am able to gather a substantial amount of money, I will go back to the business,” she quipped.

Bakare appealed to the Lagos State government to assist women by purchasing tricycles for them. “Majority of us do not have tricycles of our own. We drive and deliver money to the owners on a daily basis. Sometimes, business will be poor, yet we have to deliver. But if we have our own tricycles, we will get more money to take home to cater for our families. I deliver N3,000 daily and there are days that after delivery and payment for tickets and loading, I go home with just N500,” she lamented.

Mrs Bakare is not alone in this world of female tricycle riders. Another one, a mother of three, Moyinoluwa Balogun, also said she resorted to riding tricycle for a living when her business took a downward trend.

“Someone introduced me to it and without resentment, I took action. I was taught how to ride for two weeks, after which I started riding for commercial purpose. Before now, I was helping someone to sell goods, but due to poor sales, my salary was not regular and I have three children to cater for, so I decided to look elsewhere. I was never shy of riding a tricycle because whoever is shy will not make money, and as such, is not expected to eat. Initially, I had to deal with the fear of riding on major roads,” Balogun said.

She said that although the transportation business is stressful, it has been rewarding. She expressed her determination to succeed, believing that someday, she would buy her own tricycle, and even become owner of tricycles to hand out to people riders who would deliver money to her. “At the moment, the tricycle I ride does not belong to me. I deliver between N3,000 and N3,500 to the owner daily,” she said.

On how she copes as a female keke Marwa rider, she said, “I don’t rush or compete on the road. I ride gently so as not to attract any trouble to myself. When I close every day, I take drugs to relieve me of pain on my arms. Once I take the drugs, I am good to go the next day.”

Like Mrs Bakare, Mrs Balogun called on the state government to empower women, saying due to the state of Nigeria’s economy, women also have to work to help their families.

She also advised women who are idle to rise up and do something positive for their lives, saying, “There is no food for lazy woman. If you are not lazy in Lagos, you will survive.”

It would be recalled that the Simba Group, distributors of TVS tricycles, last year organised a free check-up camp for female tricycle riders, with a call on more women to take up the business as a means of livelihood.

The Business Head of Simba Group, Minish Rohtagi, said the company had plans to empower women and establish a baby centre and scholarship for them.

“We have been empowering women over the years and we hope to do more to better their lives in the society. There are plans to ensure that our dealers have special discounts for female customers,” Rohtagi said.