Yobe: Two days in Potiskum
From northern and eastern angles of Potiskum, one will assume that the town is a giant mechanical workshop. There are trailers by the roadsides. There are trailers in front of and within large mechanical workshops. There are many workshops at various stages of constructing bodies of trailer. Infact, there are trailers and bodies of trailers […]
From northern and eastern angles of Potiskum, one will assume that the town is a giant mechanical workshop. There are trailers by the roadsides. There are trailers in front of and within large mechanical workshops. There are many workshops at various stages of constructing bodies of trailer. Infact, there are trailers and bodies of trailers almost everywhere. Some of the trailers are loaded with vegetables, cattle, dried fish and grains; ready to head in all directions across Nigeria. Some are loaded with onions, some with cattle and some with grains. There are so many trailers in Potiskum to the extent that one can assume all the trailers plying Nigeria’s highways started their journeys from Potiskum. If one reckons with the economic importance of transporting goods from one part of Nigeria to another, the importance of Potiskum to the economy is clear.
The last time I visited Potiskum and spent more than a day was in 2002. Attempts to visit in 2012 and 2013 were terminated by rampant insecurity; as a result of frequent attacks. Those attacks almost brought Potiskum to its knees. Potiskum has one of the largest cattle markets in West Africa. It also has the largest grain market in the northeast region. In May 2012, gunmen opened fire on the cattle market and killed at least 34 people. Gunmen armed with around 20 explosives and assault rifles attacked the market. They threw explosives and shot indiscriminately, setting fire to the market, killing lots of livestock and wounding many people, mostly cattle dealers. This and subsequent attacks dealt a blow but never brought Potiskum to its knees.
Between 2002 and 2020, Potiskum, like other places, had changed. The town has expanded from all angles and there is noticeable increase in population, with more youths, working at mechanical workshops, trading or cycling to school or home. In the morning, one comes across youths in school uniforms — and in the evening batches of boys and girls wearing colourful uniforms cycle or walk to Islamiyya schools. These movements point to the future. They also point to the reality every part of Nigeria is contending with; increasing population of youths. Some youths go to school most of the days and after school, they go to market to trade in things like mobile phones and their accessories, learning mechanical works or general trading. Everywhere one can see people moving about life; doing something.
V.S Naipaul’s celebrated novel “A House for Mr. Biswas” (1961) is about one man’s lifetime struggle to own a house, to have “his own portion of the earth.” For leaders of Nigeria, at all levels, creating jobs and opportunities for youths should be what owning a house was for Mr. Biswas; a priority that must be achieved. There are two manufacturing companies in Potiskum; Sahel Aluminium Limited and the Yobe Polythene Bag and Woven Sack Company. While the aluminium company has been operating for a couple of years, the polythene bag and woven sack company was grounded for years until it was resuscitated by Gov. Mai Mala Buni. Upon assuming office, Governor Mai Mala Buni upgraded the aluminium company and provided it with all the resources that now enable the company to be operating at maximum capacity. The polythene bag and woven sack company now produces 10,000 bags of woven sacks daily. For farmers, Potiskum, a town with the largest grain market in the northeast, a woven sack company means a lot all year round. Governor Mai Mala Buni is firmly making his promise of reviving state owned companies a reality. The importance of companies in generating chains of values from jobs to trade needs not to be overemphasised. On December 2, Governor Mai Mala Buni laid the foundation for the construction of a modern market in Potiskum. At the beginning, I mentioned trailers and their role in the economy of Potiskum. Currently, Yobe State government is also constructing a trailer park in Potiskum. The park will modernise and organise this crucial mode of transport Potiskum is well known for. At the site, work is going on and when completed, the park will have roads, parking lot, canteen, warehouse, garage, filling stations, conveniences, recreational centre, a fire service station and police post. These projects show a pattern of Governor Mai Mala Buni’s commitment to developing Yobe’s local economy; empowering people to explore opportunities right at their door steps to improve their own lives.
With the perils of an economy entirely dependent on oil revenue now confronting us, developing the local economy; whose entire value chain is local, like the example of Potiskum, is a way of looking within and can be a way of looking forward.
Sanusi sent this piece from Gashua.