MAISHAYI
While serving as THISDAY Correspondent in Gusau, Zamfara State sometimes around the year 2006, my entire perception of the importance of Maishayi (tea sellers) changed. Close to the Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) lies the very popular tea joint cheekily named 'University of Tea' owned by the affable and hardworking Sani and his brothers. The 'University' was a melting point of various people, from civil servants to politicians, policymakers to sports men, bricklayers to cobblers.
As a reporter, I was marveled at the mixture of people patronising the joint, so I made it a point of duty to frequent it. With an ear to the ground and nose for news, I was able to get countless leads to important stories happening in the state, and especially what was happening in the Government House which was a stone throw away.
In exchanging ideas with Sani one day, he told me that five of his younger brothers and sisters attended the real university from the much he earned. Though reluctant to reveal his real income initially, he later told me at the end of the month, his turnover was as high as N130,000.
That was an eye opener for me. But my experience with another Maishayi, Alhaji Abu, opened my eyes more to the political relevance, and socioeconomic importance of tea sellers. Alhaji Abu was my neighbour in Damba, a suburb of Gusau, the state capital. Importantly, he was the Zamfara State chairman of tea, egg and indomie sellers association. With a retinue of aides hanging around and two official cars in tow, Alhaji Abu owned not less than 20 tea stalls all over the major towns in the state. Each stall employed about five operators who ran three shifts, from 5am to 12 midnight. When I inquired about his turnover, he said all things being equal, he gets approximately N180,000 monthly.
For his role as chairman of tea sellers association, he got to be meeting with security agencies, government officials and traditional rulers. Then Governor Yarima, who understood the efficacy of grassroots mobilisation, recognised the association and gave them motorcycles and cash to oil their activities. They contributed their parts in tackling unemployment, youth restiveness and increased to the per capita income of the state in their own little way.
Now, I know that many have questioned the wisdom of Governor Ganduje to identify with the tea sellers in Kano, but the fact of the matter is that they're as important to communal harmony as professors and lawyers. For our society to make the much-needed progress, we the contributions of, and good mix of lecturers and islamiyya teachers, pilots and Keke NAPEP riders, lawyers and cobblers, doctors, journalists and 'nail cutters', and others.
The Maishayis, occupying the lower rung of the middle class cadre, deserve more respect than the ones in Kano have got from our commentators.
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