Jos teenagers make fortunes from scraps

Teenagers, mostly between the ages of 10 and 17, in Jos, the capital of Plateau State, are making money by scavenging for discarded items.

The teens, who often search for the waste items in the nooks and crannies of the city, told City & Crime that they sell the items to scrap buyers at their collection centres.

The teenagers usually took the items they picked, mostly metal or rubber, to scrap buyers who then take them to companies across the country for recycling into reusable material.

According to the teenagers, they engaged in the scavenging business in order to take care of themselves, pay school fees and stand on their feet even before they become adults.

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Aminu Auwal, a scavenger, said “I am in this business because it helps me to buy clothes, buy school materials, pay my school fees, and take care of other necessities.

“The business is indeed helpful to me. I am a student and always go to school. I go to school in the morning and when I return home, I go out for the business. It doesn’t prevent me from going to school. I have ample time for each engagement.”

Adam Idris, another scavenger, said “I am into this business because I want to help myself. I look for the waste items at various places and bring them here to sell. So, I am here now to sell what I have gathered.”

For Ibrahim Nasir, he said, “I started this business mainly to assist myself so that I wouldn’t be staying without doing anything. I just have to do it because what I earn assists me a lot.”

With the success they have made in the business, the teenagers feel experienced enough to invite other young people to also engage in it in order to be independent.