Mrs Omoregbe Philomina, one of Benin’s many food vendors
In
a bid to earn a living, many women in Benin, capital of Edo State, sell
food off wheelbarrows, walking several kilometres to satisfy customers.
The adage which says “no food for lazy
man”, aptly personify some Edo women in all ramifications who operate
mobile restaurants in wheel barrows in Benin, the Edo State capital.
These set of women pushed wheel barrow
or truck containing prepared menu and go as far as two to three
kilometres to satisfied their customers’ hunger and earn a living.
Some of these women told Daily Trust
that they make average profit of between N3, 000 and N5 000 a day. It
was learnt that most of their customers are artisans as well as civil
servants, who apparently patronize them due to affordability, as a plate
go for between N100 and N300.
Unlike the conventional restaurants that
have fixed prices for their meals, these mobile restaurants have no fix
amount as customers buy according to their financial capabilities.
One of the women, Queen Sylvester, told
our reporter, that she was using the method to support her husband in
the upkeep of the family.
Mrs Sylvester who had been in the
business in last one year, said she wakes at about 3am daily to prepare
food. She said she push her truck full of cook food for atleast over a
kilometre daily.
“I sell rice, beans and plantain at the
Ministry of information in the morning and move to the Oba Akenzua
Cultural Centre in the afternoon. I always have the cause to smile home
after sales,” she said.
According to her, the business is good
and earns a daily profit of between N3, 000 and N5, 000 and receives
good patronage because of the low prices.
Fifty-year-old Mrs. Omoregbe Philomina
plies her trade who pushes a wheel barrow with assorted food items along
Nevile and Iheye streets, Benin City told Daily Trust that the era of
women sitting at home waiting for their husbands for everything was
gone.
“The desire to support my husband and
children made me to be hawking food in a truck. And I am happy doing it
because at the end of the day I have something to take to the bank,” she
explained.
Mrs. Omoregbe said pushing a wheel
barrow to sell is stressful, adding that “anybody who leaves the house
to look for money must encounter stress.”
On her part, Uche Umosi, in her 30s,
told our reporter that she resorted to selling moin-moin and agidi in a
wheelbarrow to make money to rent a shop.
Umosi who said her desire not to depend
on any one for money pushed her to the business in 2015 pointing out she
is really enjoy doing the business now.
“When they sack me from hotel, I started
looking for another job, but as I was going from one establishment to
another without success, it then occurred to me that instead of
wondering around endlessly, why not join other women who are moving from
offices selling food in a wheelbarrow.”
Umosi, a secondary school certificate
holder, said before entering the business after she was sacked, she got a
teaching job with a private school but had to quit because the money
was meager.
“I push the wheel barrow to three
establishments, namely NUJ secretariat, Ministry of Agriculture and NNPC
mega filling station. You can see that it is not an easy task,” she
said.
When asked how much he makes a month,
Umosi smile and said the business is good and we smile to the bank every
day with little profit.
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