STREET CHILDREN OR STREET ENTREPRENEURS?

STREET CHILDREN OR STREET ENTREPRENEURS?

A New Perspective on Nigeria’s Resilient Youth

By COMR. CHUKWU ABIA CHIKAODIRI 

In the hustle and bustle of Nigeria's cities, from Lagos to Aba, Kano to Port Harcourt, you’ll find a familiar sight: young boys and girls weaving through traffic, balancing trays of sachet water, fruits, handkerchiefs, chewing gum, or roasted groundnuts. Many dismiss them as “street children.” Others pity them as victims of poverty. But what if we’re missing something deeper?

What if, instead of merely viewing them as poor, vulnerable minors, we begin to see many of them as “street entrepreneurs”, young people who are demonstrating raw, unrefined business instincts in one of the harshest marketplaces in the world?

From Pity to Perspective: Changing the Narrative

For decades, NGOs, policymakers, and society at large have labeled street children as liabilities—a social problem to be solved. But dig beneath the surface and you’ll discover stories of innovation, resilience, and untapped potential.

That child who sells plantain chips in traffic knows how to read the market:

Peak hours = high demand.

Drivers = best customers.

Packaging = retention.

Price variation = flexibility.

They are learning entrepreneurship on the streets—not from books or mentors, but through daily survival.

The Informal Business School of the Streets

Every day, these children wake up before dawn, secure their stock from local suppliers, track sales, and sometimes even reinvest profits. This is entrepreneurship in its most organic form. Some even employ younger siblings or friends, creating micro-enterprises with rudimentary divisions of labor.

The streets have taught them:

Risk-taking — selling in dangerous intersections

Salesmanship — persuading uninterested motorists

Customer service — greeting with smiles, remembering repeat buyers

Inventory management — knowing when and what to restock

Isn’t that what every MBA student learns in class?

Why Do They End Up on the Streets?

Of course, we cannot romanticize child labor or ignore the harsh realities they face. Most of these children are on the streets due to:

Broken homes or death of parents

Lack of access to education

Rural-urban migration in search of opportunities

Exploitation by handlers or syndicates

Extreme poverty and government neglect

But their circumstances do not cancel out their potential. If anything, it highlights the urgency of channeling their energy into formal empowerment.

Potential vs. Protection: Striking a Balance

The idea isn’t to celebrate child labor. Rather, it is to:

1. Recognize their entrepreneurial drive

2. Create systems to protect them from harm and exploitation

3. Integrate them into formal education and vocational training programs

4. Provide access to small business tools, mentoring, and finance

What if government agencies or NGOs saw these children not as burdens, but as clients in need of micro-business support? What if a street child could graduate into a kiosk owner, then a mini supermarket operator, and finally a wholesaler?

Case Studies: Real Stories from the Streets

Amina from Kano started selling roasted groundnuts at age 11. By 16, she had saved enough to start a pepper and tomatoes stand. At 20, she owns a small shop employing two people.

Chijioke in Aba began as a street hawker. He now makes shoes in Ariaria market and mentors other teenagers.

Sule in Abuja once sold sachet water. Today, he manages a small delivery bike business funded through a cooperative.

These are not fairy tales—they’re hidden success stories waiting to be told.

Policy Recommendations: Turning Hustlers into Entrepreneurs

To unlock the power of street entrepreneurship, Nigeria needs:

Mobile business schools tailored for informal workers and youth

Flexible savings platforms for underbanked children and teens

Street trader identification systems to track and support growth

Youth-focused micro-grants or street business competitions

Partnerships with religious bodies and community groups for mentorship

Conclusion: The Future is on the Street

Nigeria’s street children are not just statistics. Many are brave, creative survivors with the potential to become tomorrow’s business leaders—if only we dare to see them that way.

So the next time you see a child hawking at a junction, don’t just see a “street child.”

See a street entrepreneur—a diamond in the rough, a future tycoon in motion.