Members of Aluminium Casting Association in Abuja not only desire patronage by the public but encouragement from the government in order to sustain their line of business and even take it to greater heights, ELEOJO IDACHABA writes.
They are not classified among professionals, but the service they offer is not much different from what university-trained engineers and other who had the fortunes of attending higher education at technical institutes in formal setting. Their products are used in almost every home, offices, and industries among others. What is striking about them is the dexterity with which they cast their products, putting their creativity to use by creating employment for themselves and others, even as many of their contemporaries choose to indulge in one form of crime or another.
These aluminium fabricators, who for fear of arrests and prosecution by officials of Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), hide in a remote part of the city called Bakassi located within the Jabi District of Abuja, daily fabricate variety of products that residents of Abuja and beyond use in homes and offices.
Blueprint Weekend investigation revealed that Nigeria with a population of over 160 million people has the highest numbers of workers in the informal sector in Africa, which plays a significant role in the economy by creating employment and reducing poverty among others.
The sector, which has positive relationship with economic growth, was found to be statistically insignificant for many reasons including the fact that the informal sector consists of all activities operating outside the official legal and fiscal system, with a resulting lack of reliable statistical information.
The sector also contributes significantly to production, consumption, employment and income generation in developing countries, especially as a source of livelihood to poor majority, skilled and unskilled, socially marginalized and female population and is an important means of survival for people in countries lacking proper social
Blueprint Weekend investigation further revealed that most of these fabricators, who don’t have any form of formal education, are commitment to their jobs as if their life depended entirely on it.
These men, who were found to be in their late 20s and early 30s, are mostly from the northern part of the country, particularly Kaduna, Yobe, Niger and Borno states, where kidnapping and banditry appears to be thriving, however, the opted to eke decent livelihood rather than resort to crime in search of quick riches with its attendant consequences.
Speaking to our correspondent, they maintained that they loved what they were doing for a living.
Low patronage
The Chairman of Aluminium Casting Association in the area, Monday Yakubu, in a chat with our correspondent maintained that they love what they are doing, even though the level of patronage has dropped extensively since 2015. According to him, they have no choice but to continue since they love the job and it took each of them three years to learn the job and be independent.
“You have to spend three years to learn this job. All the people you see here have spent three years to learn so that you can know all the creative tricks in aluminium casting and fabrication,” he said.
Yakubu said he learnt the trade years back through the help of his in-law at the demolished Old Market, where they were plying their trade until they were evicted following plans by government to build the NNPC Mega Filling Station and fears was that their continued presence posed danger to the station as they could ignite it.
He said on moving to the lake side in Jabi, where they thought they would do their business quietly, the owner of the plot wanted to begin development not long after they moved there.
“It was from there that we moved to this place. We know that this land also belongs to somebody, but we just need a place to stay and fabricate aluminium for the use of Abuja residents. We don’t do anything illegal. We are all law abiding.
“I am the chairman and we also have the chairman of the market association there, so we don’t make trouble here. All we are asking from the government is for them to give us a permanent place where we can stay and carry on with our business,” he said.
Plea for permanent site
Corroborating the view of the association chairman, another fabricator John Yakubu also told Blueprint Weekend that the incentive they need from the government is to have a permanent location where they can do their work unhindered from the harassment of any task force.
He also said that they needed financial grant to enable them purchase equipment and also buy the sand they require for the job.
According to him, “We don’t use regular sand but special ones that are found only in three places here in Abuja: Orozo, Gwagwa, and Lugbe. We buy the sand in bags from the people there. We don’t dig them but the residents of those places do and we buy from them.
“They know the special type of sand used for casting aluminium. They are sold in bags and each one costs N5,000. Most times, one would need about 10 bags per time; so that is why we are asking for any form of help from the government so that we can continue in this line of business,” he said.
Asked if he and his colleagues were aware of the existence of the Bank of Industry (BoI) that assists artisans like him, he said they were not, noting that, “Even if we know, they won’t give us. They will only give to their relations but for us that do not have anyone there, they won’t even allow us to come there.”
Incentives
Human development expert Dr Usman Bolategi of Human Development Consult, Abuja, while speaking to our correspondent on the plight of the aluminium worker said their story is one of several others with gifts for innovation and creativity but without encouragement from the government.
“Generally, they need encouragement. Many of them are not even aware that there are some palliatives that are in place to assist them in their line of business, which is why they see government’s policies from the angle of hate.
“I think what the appropriate agency of the government needs to do is to locate these set of people, guide them on how to benefit from such available incentives so that their lives can improve.”
He further said, “What these artisans are doing is equivalent to what some of these Chinese ‘experts’ and so-called expatriates from the Middle East are doing here in Nigeria. We need to encourage talents to grow and by that, crime rates would reduce. Imagine what would happen if, for example, some of the kidnappers in the forest suddenly realise that their lives can be better through a skill that would put money in their pockets and food on their tables, kidnapping would naturally come to an end. They would no longer find that job attractive. Even political thuggery would naturally cease to exist.
“In our organisation, we train people on human development skills especially graduate in order to help them find their feet early in life. If all government agencies responsible for human development do that, crimes would be reduced,” he said.
Govt response
When Blueprint Weekend contacted the Director of Press, Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Mr Edwin Opara, on the ministry’s policy and programmes for unskilled hands in the field he declined comment insisting that only the director in charge could comment.
Opara, however, invited our correspondent to attend the ministry’s fair coming up later in the month in order to get the necessary information as efforts to get the director in charge proved abortive at the time of going to press.
According to a lecturer with the Department of Economics, Ibrahim Babangida University Lapai, Niger state, Musa Abdullahi, “The informal sector consists of all activities operating outside the official legal and fiscal system with reliable lack of statistical information.
“The sector contributes significantly to production, consumption and employment and income generation in developing countries. It is a source of livelihood to poor majority, skilled and unskilled, socially marginalised and it is an important means of survival for people in countries lacking social well-being.”
