By Yusuf Adam
While many misguided Kano youth consider phone snatching, theft and gambling as their source of living, regardless of her age, an 80-year old Salamatu Ali, chooses hawking of local leaves as means of livelihood.
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Salamatu or Iya Mai Zogale as she is fondly called by her customers, is a popular local leaves hawker around Badawa, Zango, Giginyu, Tarauni and Kawo communities. She has been into hawking for over 40 years, Daily Telescope, gathered.
A resident of Unguwar-Gaya quarters in Nassarawa local government of Kano state, Salamatu is still hawking Yadiya (leptadenia hastate), Rama (jute leaf) Zogale (moringa) and Lansir (cress) around Kawo, Badawa, Zango, Giginyu and Tarauni quarters in Nassarawa and Tarauni local government areas respectively.
Her age status, our reporter observed, never discourages her from hawking in order to earn for a living.
Daily Telescope learnt that, part of Salamatu’s daily schedules is trekking from her resident, Gidan-Kurna in Unguwar-Gaya quarters to the famous Yankaba vegetable market to buy leaves, grinded pepper and groundnut cake powder for her usual business.
The 80-year old hawker could be seen moving from one joint to another or from one house to another with a big bowel on her head selling the cooked leaves to interesting buyers. She sells according to the buyers’ wish as a plate of each of the leaves stood between N10 and N100 depending on the buyers’ wish.
Salamatu told Daily Telescope that whatever a buyer have, she could collect, noting that “If you come with N10, I will give you, so also if you bring N30, N40, N50 and or N70. Any amount a buy brings, I will collect and give him the leaves.”
Daily Telescope gathered that as soon as this old woman sets for hawking, she lets no one to stop or distract her from going about her routine business. She explained that “Once I am ready to go out for hawking, I will not allow anybody to delay me. I always ensure that I go out in time so that I will return home before it is dark.
“Besides the joints where I usually sell my leaves, I also visit some selected houses in Kawo, Giginyu, Zango, Tarauni and Badawa and sell to my customers. In some houses, I do give the leaves free to children whom I considered my children.
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“I will be glad to tell you that courtesy of my generosity, some parents of these children do give me some items in return. They usually give me clothes, soap, cream and other household items such as blanket and bedsheet among other items. Others do give me money and foodstuff.
Iya Mai Zogale started the business with help of her brother, late Abdullahi, who gave her permission to go to his farm every day and collect jute leaf which she cooks and sell to buyers. Later his wife, advised her to expand the business, hence, she bought a bowel and started going house-house selling jute-leaf.
“After like two years, I decided to go to Rimi market and buy raw leaves and other ingredient with some little money which I cannot remember the exact amount. However, I can vividly recall that at Rimi market, I started with Moriga and later I combined it with cress and leptadenia hastate.
“I usually buy N200 worth of Moringa, N200 Jute leaf, N200 Cress and N100 Leptadenia hastate. I use to go to the market every day.
“I have seen many good people in the course of this small business. Many people like me because of my contentment and dedication. People always encourage me to on how to sustain or improve my business. Sometimes, I do spend a night in other peoples’ houses especially during rainy season.
“Whenever rain started, my customers will compel me to stay with them till when the rain stops and if it persists till night, they will ask me to sleep in their house and I always oblige. They will never allow me to go home in the night or under the rain because they care about me.
“I have only one child Mustapha. He is still alive. I have been helping him in taking care of his family with procced from this business. He is married with children. I was able to raise some money for him to start a business. He is now into the business of groundnut and palm oil,” she said.
She recalled that there was a time her son stopped her from conducting the business, but because of her persistent plead, he allowed her to continue.
She said: “About 10 years ago, I abandoned the business for sometimes when my son insisted that I must stop going out due to my age. But few months after, I pleaded with him to allow me return to the business and he agreed.
“I am content with this business because it means everything to me. I am doing the business not to make money, rather to help others. I always flee happy whenever children come to me with bowl asking me to give them leafs. Alhamdulillah.
