Reports have shown that Wudil Cattle market has been for decades, a centre for the sales and purchase of cattle of different breeds. It is also a center where cattle can be gotten at a relatively cheaper rate. Many believed that the market has a unique advantage than other cattle markets harboring same stoke as Wudil.
Even though it is hard to believe, on first visit to the market one will have no choice but to confirm the rumour that cattle are games gotten from the harsh open land in the tropics of Northern Nigeria considering the large number brought together for business.
Every Friday, thousands of people converge in the popular market for the business of buying and selling of not just the cattle but even other things associated with it. In Wudil every Friday is a very busy one for all; a day fathers will hustle together with his sons and daughters in the ever busy cattle market either as a principal actor or otherwise. The market is as important as anything could be to an average Wudil man.
It was also learnt that the market is the largest in Nigeria and probably the largest in West Africa as it covered an area of great length and breadth. Activities in the market usually start on Wednesday through Thursday to the d-day, which is Friday. It will also continue not for transaction but for loading of cattle bought to their different destinations after Friday through Saturday to the early hours of Sunday.
Alhaji Abdu DanHausan Sarkin Karan Wudil, the chairman of Wudil Cattle Market for over 49 years, explained that activities starts on Wednesday when cattle from different parts of Nigeria and the neighboring countries start to arrive at the market. The market, he said, will continue to receive cattle through Thursday, while the actual transaction begins on Friday. After successful business transactions, cattle starts to depart the market on Friday afternoon, this will continue till the early hours of Sunday.
Narrating the history of the market, Sarkin Karan Wudil explained that as far as he could recall, the market has been in existence for many decades, but cannot say when exactly it came into being. He, however, said unofficial record has it that activities in the market had commenced some 95 years ago. He claimed that he has been involved in the market affairs at a tender age and therefore the history of the market would not be complete without his name.
According to him, the present location of the market was not its initial position. He said the market was relocated to the present position as a result of a misunderstanding between cattle herders and the town people on issues related to the health of the animals.
“This market stated there (pointing at a place far within the town of Wudil), but the people started having disagreement with the Fulani herders. The Fulani herders took the case to the then district head of Wudil that their cattle are dying of a strange illness they believe was associated with the cattle sold in the market. This allegation compelled the district head to allocate this place for the white cattle and that inside the town for the red cattle. But with time everybody relocated to this present location,” Said the Wudil Cattle market chairman.
The chairman also stressed that the mode of operation of the cattle business in Wudil differs from that of all other markets. According to him, not everybody has the right to just walk into the market and sell his cattle here. “We have our own way of operations; we give every agent a number and that number becomes his trade mark for life and will be written on all cattle that belongs to him or on his sales list. Once such a number is given to particular agent, it will not be issued to another person again. In case of death, his children if they so wish to continue with the business in the same market, that same number given to their father will be retained by the children,” he explained.
One of the amazing things associated with the cattle market is its ability to present to prospective buyers, all types of cattle breeds of different stages either for consumption, rearing or breeding. The market boasts of cattle from Sokoto, Mubi, Jalingo, Bauchi, Jigawa, Maiduguri and also from neighboring Niger and Cameroon ountries.
Dan Jummai Hassan Utai is a cattle merchant whose profession allows him to transport cattle to other parts of Nigeria for sale. When asked about places that got their cattle supplies from the Wudil Cattle market, he told Weekly Trust that virtually all the six geopolitical zones get their supply from there. According to Utai, he personally takes cattle to Lagos, Benin, Port Harcourt, Aba and Calabar all the time. He said these places generally get most of their supplies from Wudil Cattle market.
Similarly, Sarkin Pawa Idris, a cattle dealer in the market told Weekly Trut that the reason why cattle seem to be cheaper in the market is because the market provides the potential buyer with a wide range of varieties to make their purchase from. “We sell different varieties of cattle here; the young, old and even calves are sold in this market. Moreover, most of the time cattle price don’t depend on the size of the animal, rather it is their breed. Their prices range from N65,000 to N220, 000 per bull. As businessmen, what we do here is to buy these cattles from the owners and on our part display them for other merchants to buy from us,” narrated Idris.
The deputy chairman of the Wudil Cattle market, Alhaji Rabi’u Garko said among other amazing things that characterized the market is the availability of cattle year in year out . This attribute according to the deputy chairman has made the market more reliable to a lot of cattle merchants and their agents.
A leading cattle merchant in the market, Muhammad Saleh Balare, lamented over what he referred to as on ‘necessary taxes’ imposed on them by thugs in the name of road taxes when conveying the animals to other parts of the country. He says, “To God these taxes are affecting our business. This business ought to be a reciprocal one where we take them to them and they buy from us, because if you ask them to come here and buy cattle most of them cannot withstand the hassle. But why are they treating us as we have no choice? Can you imagine that we have to pay N60, 000, 00 per truck load of cattle. The annoying thing is that you will be given a receipt of only N10, 000. And at times your life will be threatened if you try to exercise your right as a Nigerian by going to the authority. We are not opposing road tax collection, but at least let the government of those states like Edo, Lagos, Enugu and other states recognize our worth and sees us as humans and Nigerians with equal right,” he noted.
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