I Once Hawked...

Few Years ago, back then in Onitsha, my mum owned a popular restaurant at Spare parts Market , Obosi Awada Onitsha.


We had almost anything we wanted by GODs grace, just an average family tho, good clothes, my mum has great dress sense, good food, she cooks well, I learnt cooking from her, a good school, and good upbringing.

But one day, during holiday,
My younger sis and I went to our mum's shop, cos we hardly go there.
We saw kids hawking pure water, we couldn't imagine why.
So one day,
My younger sis and I decided to try out hawking and feel It.

My mum was furious with that idea, what more do we need that we had to hawk, we just told her, we wanted to do it.

Thank GOD she gave consent after so many pleads and conviction, cos it puts me in shoes to understand the level of pain Gov Ambode is trying to put most families through.

Some of the parents of these hawkers are either, sick, aged, or with disabilities.

If she hadn't, I wouldn't know what to say but just condemn it literary, but with experience, it pricks my heart more.
Yes there are risk but life is all about risk anyway.

Over time, I have noticed that Hawker's deaths usually occur when drivers speed or they mistakenly jump in front of a moving vehicle.



We hawked for few days, selling pure water, it was quiet fun,tasking, challenging, and adventurous , but we applied caution, didn't go far.

Why am I sharing this, like I said earlier, it was because I have an idea what hawking sort out for families.
Families that have nothing to feed on except proceeds from what their Kids made from Hawking.

Some mothers have trained kids from childhood to adult stage through proceeds from Hawking.

Kids have paid hospital bills for their sick ones through Hawking.

Just like most people have access to funds, this is their only MEANs of Getting Finance, without robbing, duping, or extorting ANYONE.

So what plans do the government have for such families?
Apparently, None that I know of.

What Measures are the government putting in place to minimize poverty rate?

What other source has the government created to make sure that an average Nigerian eats 2 course meal at least?

A single bag of pure water that use to be #60 is now #170,#180,
How are people going to survive buying healthy water at such rate?

Water is costly , how about Food?
Food stuffs price tripled!
Cooked Food is not cheap either.

I hawked to learn and feel what it means to hawk, so how about those who hawk to survive?

Instead of Making life better, they are making it Bitter.
Instead of Solutions, they are creating problems.
Instead of reducing Cost of living, they are building cells instead.



Criminalizing Hawking is not the best solution.

Here is my suggestion;

Rather than arrest them , why not create unions, a body in charge of the hawking, give them safety training, let them have uniforms, regularize them, in fact it gives the government avenue to reach out to those families and see how they can gradually better their living standard and take them out of Hawking bit by bit.


The money used in raising awareness and stigmatizing hawkers, can be used judiciously to help many of them.
That Billboard fund can start up, skill acquisition centre to help this Hawkers.

One thing I always say is , Put yourself in anyone's shoe before doing anything.

It gives you right sense of Judgement and Solutions.



I am Emabounty and I Am Just being Realistic.

GOD bless Nigeria.