Family of 9 depends on 900 daily income

The story of a 52-year-old Malam Hassan Isa, a nail-cutter, is that of resilience, contentment, persistence and tenacity.

For over 17 years, Isa has lived in a makeshift home, enduring the scorching sun, sandstorms and rainy seasons that most times make the house inhabitable.

On Monday when Daily Trust Saturday visited Isa and his family of 10, one could see in him the quest to provide for the family but the economic hardship is weighing him down.

Despite being resolute, Isa, who has made a living through nail-cutting business in the last 40 years, now struggles to provide one square meal for his wife and 9 children to break their Ramadan fast.

Our correspondent, who spent hours during the visit, observed how the family lived on his average earning of between N800 and N900 to break their fast daily.

Isa said they sometimes slept on empty stomachs, narrating how they spent three days without food.

“I only make N800 or N900 per day; I rarely get more than that. The highest amount I earned in this business was N1,600 if I was lucky. I charge only N100 per person.

In the makeshift home, which is made of iron rod, convenience/latrine made from woods and supported by the iron rods with tattered mosquito net, one does not need to be told that they live in abject poverty.

Isa said the plot of land on which he built his makeshift home was given to him by a Good Samaritan, adding that he has lived in 13 different places; and should the owner of the plot ask for it, he would have to find another place.

Wife earns N,3000 monthly as maid

Isa has been married to Bilkisa for 27 years, during which they have been through thick and thin. To support the family, his wife works as a maid in people’s houses and earns between N2,000 and N3,000 per month.

“I go to people’s houses to wash dishes and sweep their floors. I spend four to five hours a day and earn between N2,000 and N3,000 per month. And I have to go to those houses by foot,” she explained as reported by Daily Trust.

She, however, gave thanks to God for their lives.