ASUU strike: Medical student turns to street food vendor in Sokoto

Usman Abubakar-Rimi, a final-year Medicine & Surgery student at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS), has turned into a street food vendor due to the prolonged strike by lecturers.

NAN reports that Abubakar-Rimi said he conceived the initiative in order to engage in productive living as the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) forced students to become redundant.

Abubakar-Rimi, who owned a food outlet and noodle joint in the Diplomat area of the varsity, said the ongoing strike by ASUU gave him the full opportunity to engage in the food business.

“I hired a shop, employing eight people manning tea and noodle joints, selling bottled and canned drinks, masa, rice and beans, pepper soup, and meat along with the POS business,” Abubakar-Rimi said.

“A plate of food sells from N200 and above depending on the needs of the customer.”

The student said he owned another shop on Fodio road also in the Sokoto metropolis where he sells men’s and women’s clothing, caps, student bags, and shoes.

“I am always happy to see that I become an employer of labour as at present I engaged 10 persons in the two shops,” he said.

“I relied on the shops for handsome incomes because I don’t ask my parents for any money in spite of the fact that schools were closed.”

Abubakar-Rimi said he did not access any loan or youths empowerment scheme to embark on the businesses.

“However, I utilized the opportunity of COVID-19 lockdown, during the pandemic and started an egg and chicken distribution business where I had made contacts with restaurants for the supply,” he added.

“I also obtained the eggs and chickens from large scale farms from small amounts to higher quantity suppliers, from the proceeds I started the two businesses.”

Abubakar-Rimi said the businesses had a lot of prospects and encouraged youths to think of ways to utilise their time and venture into viable initiatives.

He further said when the school resumes the businesses would be sustained and combined with the academic activities.

“I designed a sustainability plan where registers were opened for maximum record keeping, supply chain, and other management procedures,” Abubakar-Rimi said.

“When I become a medical doctor, I envisage engaging in work that will not be too time-consuming because, at present, I have begun to lose hope in a salary-earning job.

“I want to establish a pharmacy, work in a private hospital as well as engage in privately initiated businesses relevant to my profession.”

ASUU is currently in the seventh month of its 16th strike in 23 years — the crux of which has been about payroll software, salary, and increased funding for public universities.