The story of Mrs Juliet Nwene, Mrs Nnaji Eucharia Ijeoma and Mrs Adetayo
Adekunle tells of the bravery of female amazons who dare to raise their
shoulders high in areas of human endeavour dominated by males. They are fearless and daring, with strength that matches that of the men. Even when their respective businesses failed them, they never gave up. They stood up and today they have sweet success stories to tell.
They are carving a niche for themselves riding tricycle popularly known as Keke Marwa, an easy means of transportation in Lagos suburbs. Tricycle riding is a male dominated endeavour but these women have found themselves slugging it out with the men.
If you want a ride of a perfect gentlewoman who can wheel the Keke Marwa perfectly, one needs not look anywhere else, just go down to Lawanson garage and one will find Juliet, standing shoulder tall with the men at the park. She brings diligence, and mothers heart into her tricycle business. Her command of English is also exceptionally brilliant.
Mrs Juliet Nwene was challenged by her brother-in-law, Uche whose words expressed in pidgin say “you no go fit”, pushed and motivated her to riding the tricycle today. The money her brother-in-law made everyday was the bait that attracted Juliet into becoming a tricycle rider. Two years down the line, Juliet is not only seen as a woman that drives keke, she is now considered as a heroine, not only by her family but also the people around her. This has earned her nicknames such as Mama G, Mama Favour, Iron Lady, Ebola Mama. Today, Juliet makes an average of N5,000 per day and she has successfully helped her family out financially.
Juliet is a graduate of Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State, where she studied marketing. She was a cashier in a bank before she was laid off. After being laid off, she went into business of buying and selling but soon the business hit the rock as customers began to owe. The amount being owed her was much and the business crumbled. She was back to seating at home as a housewife for several years until suddenly one of her in-laws came to stay with her family. The brother-in-law began riding the tricycle and comes home daily with good income. Due to the stress of the job, the brother-in-law was always too tired to count his money. He employs the services of Juliet’s daughter whom he pays N1,000 every month to help him count the money. Juliet’s eyes were gazed on the money, she has never seen a business like that which brings profits as high as that in a day. Her brother-in-law, however, discouraged her at the mention of her wanting to drive the tricycle. Words like “Nna, you no go fit”, “your body would be beaten down” could not stop Juliet’s Romeo romance with riding the tricycle.post by expdonaloaded.blogspot.com..As a woman with a target, she started thinking of how she would convince her husband to allow her ride the Keke Marwa and also get money from him to buy the machine. Telling her husband directly what her plans were would only amount to killing her dreams but her woman’s trick worked on him perfectly well. She told her husband to set her up in business because she didn’t like the idea of her sitting idle in the house. The business idea she presented before her husband was buying and selling frozen foods.Knowing what she wanted, the Akwa-Ibom- born Juliet contacted the brother-in-law whom she had told about her plans immediately her husband left Lagos for Enugu to attend to some business matters. The brother-in-law declined helping her because he feared what her husband, his brother might do when he returns and hears he had a hand in it. That notwithstanding, she summoned the courage and bought the tricycle herself and looked for somebody to help her bring it down to her house. She thereafter covered it, looked for someone to teach her and within one week, she had learnt how to ride it, though she was already conversant with driving a car several years back. After learning how to drive, she went to the Masha-Aguda park to register with other riders and started riding before her husband came back. The men welcomed her with open arms, they even slashed her registration fees. However, her stay at the Masha-Aguda axis did not last long as her husband complained of being too far from the house and she had to change her route to Lawanson-Itire route which was closer to her house. She explained to her husband that she will not be riding the keke as the men are doing it. She will do it as if she was doing an office job such that between 5pm and 6pm, she was already back home to take care of the family needs.
After working for the first few days, she wasn’t satisfied with closing early. If she closes by 5-6pm, she would be missing the rush hour time when, more money is made. She pleaded with her husband to allow her stay till 10pm one day because she did not have much to do in the house. Soon, she became a frequent late night rider closing around 11pm.
In order not to relinquish her motherly position for the Keke Marwa, Juliet dedicates her weekends to staying at home, taking care of the kids, cooking for her husband and also making all the plans that would carry them for a whole week. The level of cooperation in Juliet’s house is high as her 12-year-old daughter helps her out during the week to cook for the family before she comes back. The husband helps take care of the children and make sure they are off to school even though she wakes them up at 5am to get prepared. If the husband is to go out early, she waits at home and takes care of the kids till they are gone to school.
“The only time I rest is when I come home to eat in the afternoon”, Juliet says. She said that even her children are not ashamed of her job, instead they see her as a heroine. Initially, due to the dominance of men in the business, people are always very reluctant to enter Juliet’s tricycle. It will take a lot of persuasion for them to enter but once they are on board, their ride is always smooth and enjoyable till they get to their destination. Some passengers would even give her extra money for the way she rides. After the first ride, they are always on the look out for Juliet’s keke at the park.
For Mrs Adekunle Adetayo, her story is also a sweet one to savour. She had toiled and suffered in her business endeavour before finding succour in tricycle riding. Today, her story has changed and she is a pride to behold as she plies the Iyana-Iba/Ojo Alaba International Market route. Her determination and strong will pushed her into riding the tricycle.
Before she started, she was selling sachet water at Ojo. However, after several years, there was no tangible success achieved because the gains were not enough to feed her family of four kids and her husband. She saw a lady around the Ojo area that was riding the tricycle, she then spoke to her and immediately the lady volunteered to teach her and help into the business. When she joined, she served as an apprentice for eight months riding the keke for her boss. Thereafter, her boss sold to her a tricycle at a hire purchase rate of N800,000. She paid the money for a year and six months but unfortunately for her, the tricycle was stolen the very day she finished paying for it. After that, she continued the job. She said but for determination, she would have quit the job.
Adetayo has been on the job for over six years now and she is very happy with it. She says riding the tricycle is a very good job and she would not have imagined any other job that would have given her confidence and rest of mind. To her, her days of worrying are over.
According to her, “it is a good job, though I must say that the job is filthy in the sense that young children would abuse you, old people would abuse you, those that you are not even expecting to abuse you, would abuse you. Even the men that we ride together would want to threaten me but I do not always give them the opportunity. As for cheating, I do not agree they cheat me, we usually tackle each other”.
Mrs Adetayo, whose husband is a sand supplier at the Ojo jetty, hinted that her husband is the pillar behind her success today. Even at times when she wants to prove to be lazy or showing lackadaisical attitude to her job, her husband would always encourage her not to be lazy and her strength would hence be renewed. However, just like Juliet, her counterpart, when she started out too, she was always working till late night. Though she explains that it was because she got her keke on hire purchase, that was why she worked late night to the extent that policemen are the ones that would chase her home before she would close for the day. Due to her location and the influx of several persons into her line of business, she makes between N2,000 and N3,000 daily. She attributed her low income to the fact that she is now independent and would rather work at her own pace.
She has been able to manage both her home and her job successfully. She leaves her house around 7:30am when everybody would have left the house and closes early to return to her house on time to take care of her family. Though her children once kicked against the job on the ground that it is too difficult for her to do. However, she was able to persuade them all and today, they have no cause to bother about her anymore. She feels lucky, because passengers of all different ages and status want to have a ride in her keke.
She wants more women to join the trade. She says she is willing to teach women free of charge how to ride the keke “because it is a good job that they can do very well and survive with it.”
Nnaji Eucharia Ijeoma was a failure in business too, just like her other counterparts. But riding the tricycle today has helped her overcome such failures. She is now a success in the business with three tricycles that bring her income everyday. In her words, “I was a trader before, looking at the situation of things, the business was not moving fine, so I started searching for something I will use to support it. A friend of mine was into the business, I then had to approach her. She taught me how to ride it. She even went as far as helping me to purchase it and that was how I got started. After payment, then the Keke Marwa became mine. Thank God today, I can boast of three tricycles”.
Imo State-born Eucharia has had six years experience on the job. For her, the experience has not been easy. Today, she has, however, overcome her initial challenges.
Eucharia has also successfully managed her time and her home together such that none has clashed with each other. She explains that her family and business are going hand in hand and none is clashing with the other. She programmes herself daily as there are dedicated times for her job and her family too. She prepares the kids in the morning, which would warrant her waking up early and between 7am and 7:30am she would take them to school and for her she would prepare herself for work between 8am and 8:30am before she zooms off for work. In the afternoon, she goes to pick the children too from school and closes by 5pm partially to attend to the home front and returns to work at 7pm, to close by 9pm. She, however, leaves Tuesdays and weekends off her work schedules as she spends the two days to attend to her family full time.
Her husband has also been a strong rock and pillar supporting her through it. The husband did not at anytime kick against her idea of wanting to ride the keke. She makes about N3,000 to N4,000 per day and at the end of the month, she makes about N70,000 to N80,000. For her, any woman that can make up her mind to do the business will succeed, stressing that “it is a thing of the mind.”
Eucharia also disclosed that she does not feel intimidated among the men she works with. “They don’t threaten me at all and even if they threaten me, I don’t take it as a case with them”, she added. For her stay among her male counterparts, they see her as a challenge and also a joy to them. She however laments that on her Pako to Ijesha express route, “the men dominated executives are not supportive towards me at all. It is what the men pay that I also pay as a woman as daily dues. I have been into this business for six years and every time I come out, they collect their normal dues and there is no special treatment for me.”
She also corroborated the views of her counterparts that the job is full of insults, saying “people talk to you anyhow, they give you all sorts of name, but being who you are and knowing your aim for being in the business, you just have to go on and not respond.” She further urged the government to look the way of the women more in making sure that there are adequate jobs for them to do.
Eucharia once had an accident in the first three months of her joining the business and since then, there has never been a repeat of such.
Click photo to download; but you lied to me by Expdona aka finish gravity
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