For Khitgak Shanding, the closing down of universities, following the COVID-19 pandemic brought him an opportunity to further test his resilience and ability to fend for himself.
Shanding, a 100 level Political Science student of University of Maiduguri, Borno State, used the long break, further extended by the strike embarked on by university lecturers to engage in scavenging for plastic bottles in the nooks and crannies of Jos.
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Assisted by his sibling, the undergraduate collects empty plastic bottles, cleans them and sells to dealers in Jos.
Speaking with Benue/Plateau Trust, Shanding, who operates from behind NTA Jos, he said he took to scavenging in order to raise money to meet his needs when schools re-open.
An indigene Kanke Local Government Area of the state, Shanding said he had no option than to engage in the business because he did not want to overburden his parents, who are not very buoyant financially.
He said he first tried a security job in Rayfield area of Jos which did not work out before one of his friends told him about the plastic scavenging.
He said he contacted his relative, Panshak Godfrey, who was a security man at a private residence behind NTA Jos to support him and together they began gathering the plastic bottles.
Shanding told Benue/Plateau Trust that they have been collecting the bottles for three weeks and were now in the process of sorting them out and washing them, adding that already some buyers have shown interest.
“I am doing this to raise money for my school resumption because my parents are not quite buoyant and I don’t want to put pressure on them. I need to do something that can fetch me money that will take care of my school needs,’’ he said.
He said he expected to make at least N50,000 from the bottles he has collected and would continue so that he could make enough to take care of his needs at school.
Shanding said he had applied for several government empowerment grants but was yet to receive any.
He advised the youth to always engage in something positive to enable them to be self-reliant.
He said as an undergraduate, he was not ashamed to go about scavenging for empty plastic bottles and sell them in order to earn money to take care of his needs.
