By Umar Faruk Birnin Kebbi
In an interview with Series News Online correspondent during a visit to the river water side last Saturday to observe how businesses are going on during the Yauri market day, it was discovered that Yauri Emirate, located in Kebbi State, Nigeria, is a thriving business hub. The market, which operates every three days, attracts businessmen and women from across the state and beyond.
The market's strategic location along the Niger River makes it an ideal spot for trade, with many businesses flourishing due to the opportunities provided by the river. On market days, the river side becomes a bustling area, with many people passing through as their route to the market. Dry fish, paddy rice, onions, and beans are among the goods traded, with business people from Southeast and Southwest Nigeria coming to load goods for their regions.
The dry fish sold in the market comes from various riverine communities, including Gebbe, Chugumu, Gungunsawa, Kasabu, Hikiya, Toro, Masama, and Kwarkosu. These communities rely heavily on fishing and drying fish for their livelihood. However, the fishermen in Yauri Emirate face challenges due to the draining of the river during the rainy season, which affects their earnings.
When the water is released from the Kanji Dam, the river floods, and fish become abundant, allowing fishermen to make significant earnings. Some fishermen interviewed by our correspondent revealed that they can earn between N100,000 to N200,000 per day when the water is sufficient, but their earnings reduce to N40,000 to N50,000 per day when the water drains.
Almajiri's, young students from Islamic schools, also make earnings on market days by unloading dry fish from canoe boats and carrying them to the market as laborers. They earn between N100 to N200 per trip, with some earning up to N20,000 per market day. According to some Almajiri's, they can earn up to N80,000 in a month, which helps them feed themselves and even send money to their parents.
The Almajiri's interviewed revealed that this business does not affect their school time, as they start reading at 6 am and close at 8 am, and then come to the river side at 9 am. They also have moral lessons from 9 pm to 10:30 pm, which helps them complement their missed evening classes.
One of the Almajiri's said, "With this business, we feed ourselves to the extent we send money to our parents too. With this business, we don't go to houses begging for food again." The market's significance is a reflection of the emirate's rich history and its people's ability to thrive in business.
