Francis Sadhere
For almost four months now, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had been on a head to head battle with the Federal Government over unsettled issues, forcing students to stay at home indefinitely. During the period, the rate of crime in the country has increased to an alarming proportion and both parties do not want to shift ground. A lot of students have resorted to crime to make ends meets.
But to Mr. Emmanuel Umukoro, a 400 level student of University of Calabar, who lives in Warri, Delta State, has decided to live a decent life despite the economic hardship in the country. He decided to follow the path his peers would not want to follow considering the fact that he is an undergraduate. When he looked at his family background; his mother been a petty trader and his father a taylor, he decided to take his destiny into his own hand; thank God for Ufuoma United Fish Farmers Association (UUFFA).
Before the strike, Emmanuel had been going to the fish farm to do odd jobs where he is paid for his labour. With what he earns, he used to pay his school fees, buy books and take care of himself without asking anything from his parent. He has been doing this job since 2009 when he gained admission into school, and up till this minute he had not relented in doing what he is doing.
Our correspondent met Mr. Emmanuel at UUFFA, in Ekpan Delta State during a media tour organized by the Foundation for Partnership in the Niger Delta (PIND) for selected journalists in the Niger Delta and took interest in him when he learnt that Emmanuel was a final year student of the University of Calabar. The soft spoken Emanuel who was not shy about what he was doing was bold enough to agree to an interview.
During the interview, Emmanuel told our correspondent about his life as a worker in the fish farm. His good command of English shows that he was not just an ordinary university student, but good one. He told us about how he got to know about what was happening in the fish farm as far back as 2006. He and his brother used to go the fish farm to do little jobs to earn money. At a point they stopped coming to the farm but in 2009 and nine when he came he discovered that a lot has changed. He tried to find out what really made the different and he was told that it was the intervention of PIND that brought about the change he was seeing there. He was surprise when he made about 3,500 naira in a day in the fish farm. That was when he knew that he was going to be making a lot of money by going to the fish farm to work every day.
Hear him; “I am studying at the University of Calabar. I started coming here when I finished my secondary school and I found out that a lot of activities were going on here. I used to come here with my younger brother as far back as 2006. So in 2009 when I came back again I discovered that a lot of things have changed. The first day I worked here I was paid three thousand five hundred naira and I was very happy. I then said to myself that I can really be helping myself with the money I am making from here. With this money that I always make from here, I can take care of my school fees and other little things that I need. Every month I can make a minimum of 30,000 naira.”
A typical day at work for Emmanuel is like every other worker. He wakes up in the morning, take his bath and breakfast and prepares to go to the farm. At the farm he will wait for the farmers to come and he starts any work kind of work they have for him. It does not matter what they want him to do, all he knows is that he will be paid at the end of the day. To him there is no shame in doing what he is doing as long as it is a legitimate work that puts money in his pocket. He will work from dusk to dawn and at the end of the day he will have cause to smile to the bank.
What kind of job does Emmanuel really do in the fish farm? He told our reporter that he does all kind of work in the farm from digging of ponds, to carrying of loads and to maintaining of the ponds among others. He said; “. I do a lot of things here. For example I take care of the pond, fish and I also do carrying of loads for the farmers. The carrying of load even pays more than taking care of the fish ponds and the fish. If I am doing the other jobs of taking care of the fish pond, the farmers used to command me a lot and I do not like it when people are always commanding me to do this or that. But for the carrying of loads, nobody will command me and that is why I prefer carrying load to taking care of the fish ponds. I just want something that I will do without really interacting with farmers one on one.”
When he was asked if he would like to own his own fish farm, Emmanuel said that was not his dream for now. He said he would have to finish his studies first before he thinks of venturing into the business because his education comes first. The Mechanical Engineering student however stated that he would like to venture into fish farming in the future because of the significant improvement he had witnessed since PIND intervened in the farm. He noted that the knowledge the farmers have acquired through capacity building workshop organized for them by PIND must have been the reason why they are making progress in the business.
“I have heard so much about PIND and I have worked with them when they started their first project here. I remember the first project they did here; I was the one that did most of the work. The man I worked with was very happy to work with me when he heard that I was student of University of Calabar. When they brought in the fish I was the one that carried them to the pond and when they were selling the fish I was the one that also carried them,”
When asked what advice he has for his fellow students who are sitting at home doing nothing during this strike, Emmanuel said sitting at home will only make them to be thinking negatively. He reminded students that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.
Another interesting thing about Emmanuel is that unlike most of his peers, he sets out time to assist his mother in her shop. After closing from the fish farm, he goes straight to his mother’s shop to help her. He stays in his mothers shop until about 11pm when the shop is closed. Instead of hanging out with his friends like his mates do, he knows the importance of helping his poor parent.
Hear him; “This job that I am doing has really helped me because right now I do not have the time to think negatively. After doing all the odd jobs here in the fish farm, when I get home I also have to help my mother in her shop. After closing from the shop by the time I get home I am already tired and I will just go to bed. My mum is a petty trader and my dad is a tailor. This job that I am doing now has helped me a lot and I don’t think I will be where I am today if I was just roaming the streets. Not that I do not want my life to be better than this but you know a man has to stand from somewhere. I have a friend who is teaching in one of the schools here in Ekpan, but what he earns is not even half of what I make here in a month. I asked him how much they are paying him and he told me that they are paying him seven thousand. When I heard this I told him to come and work for me and that I will pay him more than what they are paying in that school.”
Emmanuel’s example could be an inspiration to many Nigerian youths who find themselves in this economic quagmire. It shows that there are youths who are still holding their heads high no matter the situation they find themselves. In spite of the crimes that are prevalent in our society, some youths are still out there who keep themselves busy with menial jobs. It does not have to be a well paid job paid job. Today the federal government is trying to diversify our economy from over dependent on oil.
Agriculture is one of the largest untapped sectors in the economy and that was why PIND tried to change people’s orientation from over dependent on oil to agriculture. PIND’s intervention activities in the United Ufuoma Fish Farmers Association and other agricultural sectors have shown with right skills people can be engaged in agriculture and still are proud about it.
