In its heyday, the Ganja-Lokoja artisan market was a convergence point for artisans searching for temporary jobs. However, harsh economic realities have forced a downward turn for skilled and unskilled artisans who now roam the market with little patronage. Our correspondent examines the condition of job seekers in the market.
The creation of Kogi State on August 27, 1991 gave birth to what has come to be known as the Ganaja-Lokoja artisans’ labour market. The market is located within a newly constructed bridge at the junction of the Lokoja-Ajaokuta and Lokoja-Okene road in the capital city. In its heydays, skilled and unskilled labourers came from various villages, local governments and other states to the junction in search of jobs. Men and women, boys and girls would gather at the roundabout by 7am daily to seek temporary employment.
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Agama ldaikwo, who claimed to have a skill in mason from Onyedega in Ibaji Local Government Area of the state, said many artisans had made fortunes from the market and changed the situation of their families. But the dwindling economic situation in the country has adversely affected their endeavours.
Idaikwo said he was introduced to the market by a friend from the same village about eight years ago, with enthusiasm. “Initially, I would come and spend a week or two in Lokoja and go back home to spend days, then return to base to hustle for jobs.
“After two years of shuttling between home and Lokoja, l raised enough money to rent a house and brought some of my family members to Lokoja. It was a rewarding experience. I built a house for myself and opened a provisions store for my wife in the village,“ he said.
Among others, the artisans’ labour market is made up of craftsmen like masons or bricklayers, plumbers, electricians, painters, those with skills in cleaning, washing and clearing. Estate managers in manufacturing and construction companies and private individuals flooded the market to look for workers to keep their sites running.
Like Idaikwo from Ibaji, many job seekers who see the market as a goldmine continued to patronise it because of the reported high rate of job prospects.
Daily Trust Saturday noted that as early as 7am every day, the artisans would converge on the junction with their working tools neatly packed in their bags, waiting for their clients to strike a deal for the day. They would wrap their tools and stand by them: shovels, pawns, buckets and basins, diggers, cutlasses and hoes, pliers, nails and nail cutters and other relevant equipment, according to their various trades or skills. The tools in their custody serve as objects of identification.
A 65-year-old Baba Iyabo, popularly called Old Soldier because of his military background, who appeared to have seen it all at the market, recounted his story with pride, saying he had made a treasure out of the place. He claimed to have retired from the Nigerian Army in the year 2000 and joined jobseekers at the artisan market after what he described as two wasted years in retirement in his community, Odenyi in Bassa Local Government Area of the state.
The ex-soldier said he joined the artisans’ market to showcase his painting skill, which he acquired before he was recruited into the Nigerian Army in 1967. He took the decision to enable him earn little money in order not to be a burden to people around him.
“That decision changed my life. I would have probably died out of frustration or traded blame of abandonment with family members in the village by now.
“When I started, we were very few at the junction seeking for jobs. At that time, there were plenty jobs but few labourers. As the news of the place spread far and wide, many more people started coming from other states.
“By 2006, the market became full blown, with hundreds of artisans waiting for job owners early in the morning,” he further said.
He claimed to have trained three of his children from the treasures of the artisan market to university level, built additional houses and bought a motorcycle.
Another artisan who has spent years in the roundabout earning a living, James Omeiza, said although many of them who started the job market had many things to their credit, the present harsh economic situation in the country affected their businesses and many of them are groaning over lack of patronage.
Omeiza, who hails from Okene said, “Some artisans now stay at the same spot at the roundabout from morning till late afternoon with their tools of trade waiting for clients. It is horrible for the artisans now.”
He said although the money they charged for their services during their days was minimal, its value was high when compared to the present strength of the naira. He said the market boomed because of high level of investments, which was as a result of a sound economy.
It was also learnt that beside their various skills, the market opened up more vistas for social interaction. As a result of this, many young women were said to have located their husbands and got married.
Omeiza corroborated the claim of marriage boom in the artisans’ market, saying that some of his apprentices met their heartthrobs at the site and are happily married today.
“Maria, an apprentice who always came from a village in Shintanku, across River Niger, every morning, got hooked up to a man who acquired our services. Their affair blossomed and they are married now and doing well in Kaduna,“ he said.
The story of Idaikwo, Old Soldier and Omeiza is a tip of the iceberg when compared to the number of those who have been blessed from the job market.
Daily Trust Saturday, however, reports that the Ganaja-Lokoja artisans’ market is now living on its old glory as the number of jobseekers has dropped over the years due to low patronage.
Suleiman Ibrahim from Badegi in Niger State said, “Things are no longer as they used to be in the market. It has reached a point that artisans would come and spend the whole day and leave for home empty handed.
“We used to choose jobs based on the pay. Clients used to beg us to join them at their sites, luring us with increased pay. That was the story. Now, the power of our bargain has collapsed; you either take what they offer you or risk losing the job for the day,“ he lamented.
In the same vein, a 30-year-old woman, Mulikat Ajadi, said job owners were exploiting the situation to shortchange them and reduce their worth. He said the present job situation had virtually turned them to beggars. She said a job that attracted N5,000 per day is now valued at N3,000.
“Unfortunately, oftentimes, if you accept to offer the service at that ridiculous amount they would still pay you half of the bargained sum, promising to settle the balance in few days. And the promise will not be fulfilled,” she said.
The condition of jobseekers at the market from other states appears worse. A young man from southern Kaduna, who gave his name as Ahmed, said the prospect of getting jobs regularly at the site was very slim.
Ahmed, who said he was in Lokoja with two of his siblings, said they sometimes stayed a week without any job offer, thus making life difficult for them and their families. He claimed to be sleeping in the mosque or open places and shop premises with others so as to wake up early the next day and hustle. He alleged that sometimes, policemen would raid them and the little savings at their disposal would be used to secure their freedom. “The jobs are no longer readily available as before. Sometimes we go for days without food,” he added.
Ahmed, who claimed to have lost a brother in Lokoja years back during a township road rehabilitation work, said those who left for home to farm because of the present glut at the job site, were equally not finding it easy due to the activities of kidnappers and other forms of banditry. He described their situation as the “case of people dying gradually, silently and steadily.“
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