Twitter user shares story of Akara seller cum homeowner

A lady on twitter narrated how a widowed woman who sells beans bake (Akara), puff-puff, pap, and fried yam became a landlady who owns two 3-bedroom flats and still lives in a one-room (face-me-I-slap-you) apartment.

The lady who is a banker said the woman’s husband passed away some years back and the woman could not provide for herself and her five kids.

Read below the inspirational story of how the Akara seller was able to make a living and also own a house.

” There’s a woman who lives two streets away from where I stay, her husband passed on years back. On my way back from work one day, I stopped at the suya spot close to my house to buy suya when this woman approached me and said she wanted to talk to me. After buying the suya, we both went to the house. She explained how rough things have been for her since her husband passed and how her little kiosk wasn’t able to cater to her and her 5kids. She came to see if there was a way I could help with a loan of 50k payable in 3 months.

I smiled because she sees me dress in suit & head out to work every day she must assume my dad owns the bank and I can influence policy and get them to give a loan to a non-customer. Long-serving customers find it difficult accessing loans let alone someone without an account. I told her I would get back to her in a day or two. I discussed it with husband when he returned and we decided to help her. The following day I sent someone to her place with cash and she showed up minutes later to say thank you.

Few weeks later she shut down her kiosk on the street and moved further to the main road, picked a spot and started selling Akara, yam, puff puff, Agege bread & ogi. She would head out very early because I always see her on my way to work as early as 6-6.30am. In the evenings on my way back I would see her there but this time with her kids. One Saturday she came to the house to return the loan. She then says she wants me to help her with opening an account. I promised to get her account opening forms, guide her on how to fill it and told her to go return it to the branch nearest to the house.

Few months later she paid us a visit, said she will hardly be at her spot as she will be spending time at a building site just after Ikotun-Egbe. Building, I asked? She said they had the land for a very long time and she now wants to start building from the proceeds of her Akara sales. Akara seller started constructing a one storey building meanwhile every morning I would wear suit, head to work and be called madam! ????. We chatted and I wished her all the best. She eventually finished the first floor & stopped.

She visited to tell me she had finished the 1st floor so I asked if she was going to move and she said no that she was going to put in a tenant since it’s a 3-bedroom flat, that whatever rent the tenant pays, she would use it to continue work on the top floor. Meanwhile, she was still running her Akara business with her kids. I asked why she wasn’t moving and why she preferred being a tenant in a face-me-I-slap-you apartment. She listed a few things that made me marvel at her street wisdom. She said the location where the house is isn’t good enough for her to transfer her Akara business to.

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That her current location, there are many primary/secondary schools around. So children on their way to school buy Akara/puff puff /yam etc from her daily. That there are bars close by that sells fish/cow tail pepper soup and they buy her ogi daily. She said I shouldn’t forget the bus-stop where her spot is close to, many workers plowing the route patronises her. So she can’t afford to move from that spot.
She would rather finish her building and rent both flats out using the proceeds to pay rent at her small place while maintaining her Akara business. She mentioned how beans/flour/corn/firewood sellers all give her credit and she pays back at the end of the week. She said it would be difficult creating such business relationship in a new place. Akara seller turned to house owner in front of me.

Credit: WithinNigeria