A Nigerian woman, whose husband died, while she was pregnant with their third child, has narrated how she became a keke Napep driver to make a living. She said, “I used to sell frozen foods when my husband was still alive. He died when I was one month pregnant with my last of 3 children. I was still managing at the shop until thieves came to rob and carted everything away. The suffering became intense as a widow with no source of income.
“After so much begging, my friends helped me raise money to start a new business. I started collecting and selling provisions and soft drinks in wholesale. But this time, I got robbed thrice. After the first robbery, I managed to borrow money from people to restock a little, but as soon as I started making profit, thieves came again and packed everything. The manager of the depot where I was collecting goods felt pity for me so I was given goods on loan with the agreement that I will pay back as soon as I start making profit. For the third time, thieves came again. Honestly, I don’t know if I was being setup, but I’ve handed everything to God. I’m still in debt at the depot as we speak. I had to sell my generator to pay back a little from what I owed, so they’ve agreed to allow me pay N4,000 weekly until my debt is cleared. I’ll complete the payment by August.
“I started this Marwa business on September 9 last year. I collected it on loan for N1million and I’ve been paying back N16,100 weekly. I was told that if I don’t complete the payment by November this year, they will collect it back, but if I do, it will become mine fully. That was our agreement and I’ve been paying them weekly for 10 months now. Honestly, I still prefer frozen foods business because this keke business has too much wahala. I had an accident last month, a bus driver hit my keke from behind and it summersaulted thrice. I regained consciousness in the hospital where I spent a week and then another two weeks at home. I only just resumed work again three days ago after I noticed my children were crying of hunger. I still feel pains in my legs and left hand.”
Photo Credit: Getty
