Fifty-eight-year-old Afusat, a widow is one of the street sweepers in Lagos State. Afusat was a petty trader who was struggling to make ends meet with her five children. Her youngest child is in JSS 2.
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Fifteen years ago after she lost her husband, she has been facing numerous challenges raising her children. Afusat told Saturday Vanguard that she was using the profit realised from her petty business to train her children.
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Today, Afusat has secured a job as one of the street sweepers in Lagos metropolis. She is combining both the gains she realises from her petty trading and her salary to nurture her children. But, there seems to be no difference as the salary she earns as street sweeper is next to nothing.
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Although, she was grateful to have gotten this job, she seems not to be satisfied as the challenges involved is more than the stipends she earns as salary. When she started the job, she was optimistic that it would meet her demands. But, right now, she is completely confused. Her words: "When my friend introduced me to it, she told me that, as a street sweeper, I will be able to feed my family and cater for my needs, that, I could attend to some pressing needs without necessarily going into debt but the story is different now", she added.
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She further said that, the only satisfaction she derives from the job is the opportunity it affords her to do other jobs. "The job is based on shift. We resume at 7am and close at 1pm while others resume at 1pm and close at 6pm everyday.
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The job is comfortable and our salaries come regularly. Some of us are traders, businessmen and women as well as students", she disclosed.