The activities of Small and medium business owners like Alhaja Shafau Muhammed “Iya Shehu” serve as a lubricant to every nation’s economy.
These small business owners are responsible for driving economic growth, generating employment opportunities, and disseminating innovative ideas in their own ways.
In fact, small businesses account for more than 99% of business activities in most economies and 60-70% of employment creation in most nations.
However, the continued existence of most of these SMEs, Iya Shehu’s business inclusive, is threatened in Nigeria as a result of an unfriendly operating environment.
The chronic economic imbalance in the nation did not spare Alhaja Iya Shehu as rising cost of foodstuff and other essential commodities have crippled 60 years old pounded yam business of a popular pounded yam vendor, whose Buka is situated at Orisankoko/Oloru quarters, Popo Igbonna, Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State.
Speaking with Dailysource, Alhaja Muhammed recounted how the current harsh economic situation is biting harder in practically every sector of the Nigerian economy, especially in the food sector.
Alhaja Muhammed noted that the harsh economic operating environment in Nigeria has practically collapsed her food business, having been recognized as a renowned pounded yam specialist in Popo Igbonna, Okelele, Idi-ape areas and other adjoining communities in the ancient city of Ilorin.
She x-rayed that the journey of about 60 years of pounded yam business was abruptly brought to an end two months ago, occasioned by skyrocketing prices of yam and other essential commodities in the market.
According to her, yam dealers in the market felt her lack of patronage in the last few months because she is one of the major yam buyers. This has led some of the yam sellers to acknowledge that she is worst hit by the current economic turbulence.
The popular pounded yam vendor lamented that she is now indebted to yam dealers to the tune of 450,000. The huge debt, as well as the continued rising prices of food materials, made her discontinue the pounded yam business completely.
Iya Shehu further pointed out that she could no longer cope with the harsh economic situations, which made it difficult to recoup her investment, let alone make any profit.
She narrated that her esteemed, satisfied customers are currently lamenting and loitering around her shop to taste her usual pounded yam delicacy.
As an employer of labour, she claims that her business’s current situation has made her disengage the six women working for her.
Alhaja Muhammed, therefore, appealed to well-meaning philanthropists for financial assistance to resurrect her pounded yam business and satisfy the desires of her numerous customers.
The plight of Alhaja Shafau is glaring as National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) ‘s latest report for June 2024 indicated that the food inflation is currently 34% as well as that of fuel, energy, and transport while things are rough, unfortunately, the smaller the business, the greater the difficulty to remain afloat.
Some of these small iconic food outlets are of socioeconomic value to their communities. Quite a number of these small businesses contribute to the socioeconomic development of their communities, especially in the areas of job creation and the provision of various products to consumers.
It must be remembered that happy communities build prosperous nations with mutual goodwill according to circumstances and ability.
In his reaction, a Professor of Marketing at the University of Ilorin, Mustapha Yusuf Ismail Orisankoko, who is a long-standing customer attested to the claim of the vendor that, as a child, he used to go and purchase this culinary delight from her for his late grandfather in her former location at Alabere Compound, Kankatu area of Ilorin before Iya Shehu moved the business to her present location at Orisankoko/Olorun quarters, Popo Igbanna, all in the Kwara State Capital.
According to him, a number of people in their late 50s, including himself, grew up eating her pounded yam right from the time they were still collecting money for food from their parents.
He further stated that “a number of his friends that became Shafau’s customers during his teenage period who are now based in different locations across the world still come around to eat her pounded yam whenever they are in Ilorin.
“I have travelled to a number of places where I ate pounded yam, and I am using this opportunity to let you know that Shafau’s pounded yam stands out anywhere in Nigeria, even far better than those of the states known for pounded yam.”
The Don said somebody like this who has paid her dues to society needs to be supported by the government with grants as several people are deriving satisfaction from her food.
Professor Orisankoko confirmed that Iya Shehu has not been pounding yam in the last two months, and her customers are finding it difficult to satisfy their desire to eat pounded yam. This was caused by the prohibitive cost of yam, the principal raw material required to produce the product.
He therefore called on affluents, satisfied customers and philanthropists to support her through financial assistance, which would enable her to return to business.
The Don advised her to leverage the area where the business has a competitive advantage in making strategic decisions that will enable her to remain in business. Shafau’s business has a competitive advantage in the quality of the pounded yam, and as such, her decision must be driven by the popular notion that the relationship between product quality and price should be direct, hence she needs to work on how to price her product appropriately.
Also, Mrs Alimat Yusuf who is a customer said also confirmed that it has been long she started the pounded yam business as she was sent by her parents and uncles to purchase the meal and asserted that Alhaja Shafau gave birth to all her children while doing the pounded yam business
Mrs Yusuf decried the current inflation affecting her business and solicited help for her as some customers could not do without her food
Similarly, Mr Damilare Adio elucidated that major reason for the huge patronage was the quality of her soup and frowned that they had not been going to her for the past two months.
The customer noted that he felt sad when he visited her shop with his colleagues and were told she halted pounded yam due to high cost of yam and solicited for collective effort to bring her back to business
In the same vein, the son of the popular pounded yam vendor, Shehu Muhammed Alabere affirmed that he grew to know his mother to be a famous pounded yam seller.
He further stated that their customers spread across substantial part of the Ilorin metropolis
The son said when he advises his mother to charge realistic prices for the foods, especially pounded yam she always refuses because she believes that the majority of the customers may not be able to afford the price and eat to satisfaction.
