Driving along Kaduna streets in his tricycle encircled with brooms, gardening and plumbing tools is 55-year-old Bashir Ahmad, an indigene of Zamfara State who recently relocated to Kaduna State for greener pasture. Bashir caught the attention of Arewa Trust Weekly by his unique business idea of using a tricycle to hawk his goods rather than by foot.
In a chat with our correspondent, the 55-year-old narrated how he was forced to leave his home town in Zamfara State two years ago in search of new opportunities to pay off his debts. Though Bashir has some form of formal education, he would rather be given capital to start a business than work for the government. He said the motivation to start such a business came from his background as a blacksmith who used to hawk items he constructed such as garden tools from one place to another.
However, since his arrival at Kaduna, he has been able to purchase a motorcycle which he used to hawk his brooms and other items before he later purchased a tricycle which he has now been using as a mobile shop in the last six months.
According to Bashir, through his new-found business, he has been able to cater for the needs of his family, and his biggest achievement would be paying off the debts in Zamfara which made him leave his hometown.
“The business is quite lucrative but I am not bothered about making a lot of money; if I have a little today, and a little tomorrow, I am contented because I know that is what Allah has chosen for me.
“Right now, my target is paying off my debts so, whenever I make good sales, I send the money to offset part of the debts and the day I finish settling my debts, I will go back home because that is the reason why I am in Kaduna,” he stressed.
He said in order to woo customers, he targets spots where there are people and parks his tricycle in the hope that some items will attract any passerby. Bashir called on youths to engage in various business ventures to earn a living, noting that Islam does not give room for idleness, while also calling on Nigerians to be contented with whatever they have and not expect government to do everything for them. “It is very worrisome how Muslims wait for people to give them arms rather than get up and work for themselves. If one is not contented in life, no matter how rich that person is, he will still have needs that will not be met,” he said.
