Exclusive: How Load Pushers Are Making It Big In Lagos Market (Photos)

Kolawole Ojo’s true life account makes a good reference. He is the chairman of load carriers association, Iketu – Ikosi market area of Lagos state.

READ ALSO: My Husband Slapped Me For Asking him To Wash Plates’Unlike in the past, the vocation appears more organised as the load carriers have now constituted an umbrella body as the trade remains a viable source of livelihood

Contrary to the impression that load carriers popularly known as alabaru may never do well, Ojo, through the vocation has become a house owner in Ibadan, Oyo state.

Ojo narrated to Ekohotblog.com how he acquired a plot of land and built an 8-room house popularly known as face- me-and- face-you in Ibadan.

According to him, he purchased the land at the rate of N300, 000 in 2006 after he worked for one year.

He stated that the load carriers job is lucrative and that most of the load carriers own landed property and houses in many parts of the country.

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‘Although the job is stressful and shameful, if a person could endure the challenges of insult and certify with it, such a person can do many things that some salary earners cannot do. For instance, my secretary is a graduate who is so interested in it because she knows what she goes home with every day except Sundays alone,” he said.

”Some load carriers are graduates. Although i am not a graduate, I was once a load carrier before I became the chairman. I even purchased a plot of Land when I was still pushing the wheel. As at then, a barrow was went for N150  and a carrier could make N1500  between 6am and 12pm, while the persons who worked from 6am to 5pm would have had N3000 or more.

 ”But now, reverse is the case when you rent a barrow for N2000 and a carrier could make minimum of N3000 for the whole day,” he said.

Another carrier, Ajadi Johnson said that most of the young people in the trade have other vocational jobs but decided to take up the job to raise money for equipment or rent shops.

Johnson took up the job in June 12, 2014 when he needed money to buy a cutting machine which he later bought for N250,000.

”Before March next year, I would have bought other equipment like drilling machine which is sold for N70,000 depending on the source,” Johnson boasted.

However, the load carriers in Mile 12 market area of Lagos state are appealing to the Lagos government to help their plights.

They alleged that their normal routes were blocked by Lagos state government over heavy traffic jam. “Although the hold up reduced after the blockage, it posts serious difficulty on our job. So,’’’ One of the carriers said.

They appealed to Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to come to their aid.