what trade is yan atamfa
The identity ‘Yan Atamfa’, in Hausa parlance refers to wrapper traders, that is women clothes sown for dress and wrapper. In Maiduguri, traders who sell various clothing engage the services of young Golf car drivers based in Maiduguri to go with them to Kano and move their goods from the renowned Kantin Kwari market in Kano to Maiduguri. Mostly in their 20s. They help traders to transport the goods on a daily basis. The inspiration for using the Golf boys is that, first, the cars are stuffed with wrappers all over, covering every place except a tiny portion for the driver who relies only on the left hand side mirror to notice objects behind him because every other mirror is covered by wrappers. In addition , the boys are famous for their reckless, fearless and dare-devil driving nature. They drive without respect for their lives, their passengers (in the journey towards Kano) and those of other road users. They travel very early in the morning, covering a distance of about 500 kilometres to arrive to Kano by noon, go with the traders to the market and return to Maiduguri the same day. The traders do not accompany them on the journey back. They seek other alternative means of transport since there is no space for anyone in the car but the goods and the dangerous driver.
difficulties the drivers face
Walli Dan Kawu, a 26 years old Golf driver told Kanem Trust that the business was a risky one but they had to embark on the journey because of the attractive returns.
He said, “Operating as a commercial driver within the metropolis is less stressful, compared to travelling to Kano and returning without any break. With town service, you can enjoy sleep in the comfort of your home, but when you travel to Kano, you forfeit such luxury. You also have the security officials to battle with and at times, the vehicle may breakdown on the way or you may be attacked by armed robbers. The income generated will therefore differ. The vehicle owners also expect daily remittance of income to tally with the kind of commercial taxi operation because of the stress which their vehicles are made to go through.”
Recalling how he joined the business, he said, “I first got involved as a commercial taxi driver within the metropolis. Later on, we started taking passengers to Kano. We were introduced into the trade by our elders. According to them, they started with transporting second hand clothes and passengers. Because of the lucrative nature of the business, it is attracting more people. At present, we have about 100 members including drivers and loaders. We leave in the mornings with two, three or four traders. When a trader buys his wrappers, brocade or any type of material at the Kantin Kwari market, he boards another vehicle back home leaving us behind with the goods. By night, we load our vehicles and embark on our journey back to Maiduguri.
According to Walli, the traders pay for the load to be conveyed to its destination and they are charged per weight of the load. He said for each of the wrappers bundle they charged N3,000 while for other type of clothing materials like ordinary materials they charge N1,000.
One of the young drivers, Jibril summed his success this way: “I am very grateful to the Almighty. At the beginning, I was employed by a woman to drive her vehicle. Later on, I started carrying clothing from Kano to Maiduguri. But now, I have my own Golf car. I have also purchased a piece of land, which I have started developing. Right now, I have commenced discussions about my wedding, which I intend to sponsor on my own.”
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eye witness account of yan atamfa casualities
“Sincerely speaking, at the moment, most of the Golf cars you see in this mechanic garage belong to our members. Majority of the cars are owned by our members, despite the fact that most of us began this trade with other people’s cars. For each trip, we spend nothing less than N10,000 to fuel our vehicles to and from Kano. This however depends on the availability of fuel,” said Adamu.
Adamu, who earlier rendered an eye-witness account recalled the many casualties since he joined the business of Yan Atamfa four years ago. “Two months ago, a 22 year old Ismail took off from Maiduguri to Kano. He had left very early in the morning and was approaching Mainok in Konduga Local Government Area. A vehicle loaded with eggs was also on its way to Maiduguri from Jos. The vehicle had travelled through the night. Isma’il who was on top speed sighted the approaching vehicle on his side of the lane and started flashing his headlights and blaring his horn. When he realized that the driver in the on-coming vehicle had not seen him, he tried to swerve off the road to avoid collision but because of the bad portion of the road, he drove into the vehicle. All four occupants of the vehicle lost their lives, including the driver. Three other drivers lost their lives in similar patterns.”
According to Adamu, most of the accidents occurred because of the desire to cheat nature, saying that drivers did not sleep and rest after each journey. “The drivers try to make more trips to earn more money. It is all in the struggle to out race one another in accumulating wealth. But what most of us forget is we cannot all get what somebody gets, as some are luckier than most.”
Our reporters observed during an off-loading session that the vehicles were filled to the roof top. This left no room for accessing side or rear views. Meanwhile, they are noted for travelling at neck-breaking speed limits, hence violating traffic rules.
drivers get licenses without competence test
Investigation by Kanem Trust revealed that the drivers obtain licenses at N4,000. At times, fees charged are more than the approved rates. Meanwhile, no driving competence testing sessions are held by the Vehicle Inspection Officers before issuance. The norm is: pay the sum, provide your personal data and come back later for your license. At the moment, men of the Federal Road Safety Corps are stationed in the Borno State Inland Revenue Office to collect payments for the issuance of licenses. Even at that, no testing is conducted. The interest seems to be concentrated on the incoming revenue.
Atamfa business is like an all-comers affairs. Kanem Trust gathered that most of those who go into the business were hitherto artisans who felt they were not getting enough from their artisanship. A case in point is Jidda Abubakar who said he used to engage in menial jobs before he got the money to buy a Golf car which he used for the Atamfa transport business.
“I have been driving Golf commercially now for the past 16years. Before then, I was engaged in bricklaying, painting and carpentry, in short, all sorts of menial jobs that are related to building. When I got some money, my elder brother, Abba Kaka Garba Sokoto, who is the leader of the Atamfa Golf drivers, sought to introduce me to the 24 hour Kano – Maiduguri Atamfa transporting business. I gave the money to him and he bought me the Golf car. I started travelling to Kano from Maiduguri to transport clothing for the traders. Because of the high returns in the transport business, I no longer take the menial work occupation seriously,” Jidda said.
According to him, he acquired skills as a bricklayer/carpenter/painter through his father who was a government contractor. “Often, I accompanied him to the sites and monitor all his employed labourers and when alone, I put into practice whatever I have observed from their daily chores. Sometimes, I even buy the building materials like cement with my own money just to see that I learn what I had observed.
Meanwhile, Jidda migrated from being a bricklayer/carpenter/painter to a driver without any tuition. “I learnt how to drive by observing how my father drove when I used to accompany him to some places. One day, while he was asleep, I stole the car keys and drove out. Everyone in the neighbourhood was scared, thinking I would be involved in an accident. Some even went on my trail. I drove round and came back home without any problem. I had no problem driving round, except steadying the wheels. Upon my return, my father came out and took a look at the vehicle, noticing no damage. He didn’t utter a word. I guess he was convinced I could drive now. Two days later, he handed me the car keys and instructed me to throw away our domestic waste and this became a routine. So far, I have travelled as far as Abuja,” he further held.
drivers and security operatives on each other’s throat
The Atamfa business is not without its challenges. Most of the drivers complained of embarrasement and disturbance from custom officials for transporting goods that ought to attract customs duty at the borders. Jibril Adamu one of the driver said: “Everyday customs officials disturb and embarrass us because we are transporting goods that attract custom duty. But we do not transport them across the nation’s border, rather from one state to another. We know they are operating illegally, but from time to time, when we come across them on the way, they are merciless. Every encounter with them leaves a hole in your pockets.”
Adamu said that their greatest challenge in this job was road mishaps that were often caused by the recklessness of some of the drivers. “On several occasions, you find that drivers embark on journeys to and from Kano without breaking up for some rest. Some travel for four, five or six trips in succession without sleep. Each time I travel, I make sure I rest. At times, I rest on the way when I sense that I am sleepy. Some drivers will drive on, heavy-eyed, refusing to rest or sleep. Mistakenly, if they lose control as a result of loss in concentration, they swerve off the road and while swerving back, their tyres could be torn open by the sharp edges of the tarred road. This causes a burst of the tyres and eventual summersault of the vehicles which often move at top speed. We have lost many lives in this manner.”
While the drivers lament, some car owners point accusing fingers to the drivers for sometimes using vehicles for the Atamfa trips without approval from the car owners.
While lamenting her ordeal, a Golf commercial vehicle operator, Hajiya Safeenat Mahmoud Dantsoho, who is a student of the University of Maiduguri and resides at Damboa Road in the outskirts of the metropolis said she had in the past five years purchased five different Golf cars and changed five different drivers. According to her, “the drivers benefit more than the vehicle owners. In fact, very often, I wonder why I keep involving myself, despite the series of disappointments. As far as I am concerned, the only benefits I have enjoyed are the errands carried out with the vehicle, in addition to fact that it conveys me and my child to and from school.”
vehicle owners and drivers in dispute over returns
She lamented further: “On a daily basis, the drivers are expected to deliver N850, totalling N5,950 weekly. Out of this, the driver is expected to change the engine oil. Rather than use sealed brands, they just replace it with roadside engine oil. On one occasion, I had to replace the engine after it was knocked. On another, before the engine got knocked, I quickly replaced it. What is annoying is that, when they damage your car, they just abandon you and leave you with the bills.”
Our investigations revealed that most of these drivers graduate from riding okada (commercial motorcycle) to Golf without any experience because of the excessive gains in transporting goods to and from Kano. Some of these boys were also off-loaders before becoming Golf drivers.
The Acting Sector Commander of the Borno State Road Safety Command, Mr. Daniel Sayi had in a recent interview with our respondents complained about the reckless attitude of some drivers, while violating traffic rules, saying “despite the enlightenment campaign, some of the drivers still overload and over speed whenever they are on the highway. This is probably because most of them believe they have the power to control accidents.”
