A master’s degree holder, Yazid Surajo has revealed why he became a scavenger in Lagos state.
Surajo said he became a scavenger because he did not want to stay idle, waiting for a white-collar job that isn’t forth coming.
The Katsina state indigene explained that he loved his scraps business, stating that he was determined to modernise it as he gets more income.
Speaking with Daily Trust, the scavenger, who has a master’s degree in Development Studies from the Bayero University, Kano State, said he would register “my company and register my workers” after making it.
He said, “When I concluded my national youth service in 2016, I decided not to stay idle. Many of my childhood friends used to go to Lagos, so I didn’t hesitate to join them. Some said I was not fit for the business because it required energy and it was stressful. Those that knew me well and my attitude knew that I could withstand all the challenges.
“We had a master called Dandogo; we were about 70 under him. Every day he would give each of us money to go out and look for scrap. Some may be given N7,000, some N10, 000, some up to N30,000, depending on capacity. After collecting the money, everyone will take his truck and push it around, searching for scrap to buy. If you come across an item to buy which exceeds your money, you call your master to send you more money, and in the evening, everyone will go back to his master to upload the items he has purchased, measure it and the master will take out his money and give you back your gain. This is how we do business daily.
“After a year or two, I became used to that business. I gave it more attention because securing a job in this country needs connection because I have been applying for different government jobs but to no avail.
“I applied for Nigerian Army, Navy, and Air force jobs. I also applied for Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, Nigerian Immigration Service, Customs Service, Fire Service, Correctional Service, Nigerian Police jobs, and the recent one that I applied was National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA. They called me for an aptitude test and up till date, I have not received a message nor heard about anything about the test. When I realised that getting a job is something else in this country, I gave my venture more attention, and I have seen many benefits in it.”
Surajo, who studied History at the Umar Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina, advised the youths to be hardworking and not be involved in “criminal activities, like internet fraud, armed robbery, kidnapping, and all other criminal activities.”