Name: Yisa Idiat
Origin: Ogun State
Dependants: Three Children
Business: I braid people’s hair for a living. I had one small kiosk around Oshodi but last year, when the Lagos state government destroyed all the shops by the gutter, mine was affected. I don’t have money to get another shop and my customers say they cannot come to my house to braid their hair because they don’t like where I stay.
My husband who was a trailer driver abandoned the children and me because I did not give him a male child.
He used to visit us once in a while but the last time he visited, which was two years ago, he told me he was out of job and had no money to give us. Since then, he has not called or visited us.
Profit: When I had a shop, I used to make enough money to put food on my family’s table because customers were coming but that has changed. To eat now is even a very big problem for us.
School fees: I have moved my children to public school. So, the burden of paying their school fees is no longer there. Most times when they drive my children away from school because they don’t have books, someone around me would give me money to buy the book for my child.
House rent: My rent has expired and my landlord said I should move out. As you can see, the room is leaking badly but it’s still better than nothing. I don’t even have money to renew the rent.
Impact of recession: This period has been hard on my family. Feeding my children has not been easy. A custard bucket of garri is now sold for between N1,000 and N1,200, it was not this bad.
Sometimes, when it gets very tough, my neighbours used to help me out but they don’t do that anymore because times are hard. We just manage to feed. I know if I had a shop, I would have been able to make ends meet.
Challenges: I want to be able to feed my family because this has become a very big problem for us. I really need a shop so I can work and make money to take adequate care of my children.
CHINWE AGBEZE
