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THEY HAWK: Is That Their Call?

By: Grassrootsmirro media

“Poverty is not a curse, but abandoning your people to suffer when you can help is.”

Walk through the streets of Aba, Onitsha, Owerri, Lagos, Umuahia, and even Port Harcourt, and one figure keeps reappearing, a young man pedaling an ice cream bicycle under the hot sun, or pushing a heavy wheelbarrow loaded with goods. He is from Ebonyi State, most likely from Ikwo, Izzi, or Ezza. He is sweating, hustling, surviving. They hawk. But is that really their calling?

This question haunts any well-meaning Ebonyian who has seen the painful trend that has lasted for decades. From cold ice cream bicycles to wheelbarrow labor, Ebonyians, especially the youth — have taken over the informal streets of Nigeria’s cities, struggling to make ends meet. But this is not who they were born to be. This is a result of neglect, lack of support, and a failed system.

A Condition, Not a Calling

Many people mistake the persistence of hawking among Ebonyi sons and daughters as a natural lifestyle, some even whisper ignorantly that it is their destiny. No, it is not. Hawking is a condition, not a calling.

In truth, if you're familiar with the economic history of Ebonyi State, especially the Abakaliki bloc (Ikwo, Izzi, and Ezza), you will understand that lack of industries, absence of youth development programmes, and a weak political system contributed heavily to the rise of this phenomenon. For over two decades, Ebonyi youths have migrated in search of survival, not opportunity. They are not chasing dreams, but escaping hunger.

The ice cream business has become a signature hustle for many. In cities like Aba and Onitsha, over 85% of the ice cream bicycles are managed by Ebonyians. It’s not uncommon to see three to four young boys living in a single rented room, waking by 5am to begin hawking. This is now seen as normal, even a badge of struggle, but beneath it lies a painful truth: these young people had no better option.

Why Are They Dominating the Hawking Scene?

Several reasons explain why this informal trade has become a stronghold for Ebonyians:

  1. No Start-up Capital Required: The ice cream and wheelbarrow businesses require little to no personal capital. Someone gives you the bicycle or barrow on lease. You hit the road and return with proceeds.

  2. Peer Influence: With many from their communities already in the business, it's easier to follow the trail. They become informal apprentices to those already hawking.

  3. Lack of Education/Skills: Most of them dropped out of school due to lack of fees. Many never went beyond primary or junior secondary school. They have no skill certificates or vocational training.

  4. No Government Support: There's a complete absence of functional youth empowerment systems in the rural communities they come from. They are left to fend for themselves.

Is This Their Calling? Absolutely Not

When we talk of “calling,” we refer to something one is passionate about. A purpose. A gift. But hawking ice cream or pushing barrows under hot sun is nobody’s passion — it’s a decision forced by circumstances. A survival tactic. A cry for help.

Some of these young men were once students with dreams. Others wanted to become tailors, mechanics, teachers, or business moguls. But poverty said “No.” Their state said “Figure it out on your own.” And their leaders? Most of them ignored these young men until election season.

Imagine a 24-year-old from Ikwo who wakes up every day to pedal 15km just to sell ice cream that earns him ₦2,000 daily. He uses it to feed, send money home, and save for rent. Meanwhile, politicians are embezzling billions meant for youth empowerment.

This is not destiny. It’s a failure of leadership.

They Are Not Cursed

Let’s correct a dangerous mindset. Ebonyians are not cursed.

Some people assume that their dominance in this informal labor sector is spiritual, maybe generational or ancestral. This is not only false, but dangerous. These young men are bold, resilient, and hardworking. In fact, give them tools, capital, and support, and you’ll see innovation like never before.

Many who hawk today become successful business owners tomorrow. Some have used their proceeds to open shops, start transport businesses, or return to school. Others send their younger siblings to school.

So, they are not cursed. They are survivors of a harsh economy, and they do it with dignity.

It is a slap in our face that we ebonyians can't access loan to even farm which we are good at my governor. I still won't forget a day an ebonyi guy met me and discovered that am from ebonyi in Lagos, he asked me to follow him and start doing Street hawking that I will make it. I told him, I can't because am here for a visit and even if I want to follow him my uncle won't let me hawk even though I need money seriously for my school which am still struggling to enter because no money. What's the fate of that guy now that street hawking has been banned in Lagos? Why can't you from that money and give loans to farmers in ebonyi, give scholarship to those willing to further their education, call those ebonyians hawking in different streets of every Nigeria state home and give them that international market to make use and pay a little money to the state government? I am not a politician and I will never put my hand into politic. I am in my 20s but I weep bitterly for this state because there are many talents wasting in this great state. I am writing this article to you my able Governor, Enginer David nweze umahi like a son to a father because am just 20 years old. Ebonyians in diaspora hawking, let's come back home and make a ebonyi a great state. Nothing good comes easy but I believe we will get there one day.

Read up

The Role of Government: Can This Change? Yes.

The situation can change, and fast,  if the Ebonyi State Government is serious about solving this generational problem.

1. Empowerment, Not Just Repatriation

Recently, there have been talks about bringing hawkers back home. But what are they coming back to? Empty promises? Repatriation without empowerment is useless.

The government must:

  • Provide skill acquisition centres in Ikwo, Ezza, Izzi, and other rural areas.
  • Offer start-up capital or grants for hawkers who want to start micro-businesses.
  • Launch an Ebonyi Youth Street-to-Business Program, converting hawkers into entrepreneurs.
  • Connect with Ebonyi billionaires and diaspora investors to support these programs.

2. Education and Vocational Training

  • Subsidize education and create free technical schools in local councils.
  • Promote digital literacy and online freelance training.
  • Partner with NGOs and skill hubs for accelerated training in fields like tailoring, welding, photography, and agro-processing.

3. Create Agro-Based Local Jobs

Most of these youths come from farming backgrounds. Establishing modern farm clusters, agro-processing factories, and local cooperatives will not only keep them at home but make them proud business owners.

What Communities Can Do

  • Traditional rulers and local leaders must begin mentorship programs for their youth.
  • Associations like Izzi Development Union, Ezza Welfare Association, etc., should create returnee support systems for those willing to quit hawking.
  • Encourage digital skills, agriculture, and local crafts over street hawking.

What the Youth Must Know

Dear hawker, this is not the end. Yes, you hawk now, but your mind must rise above the street. Learn. Grow. Save. Plan. Connect.

  • Use free platforms like YouTube, Coursera, or WhatsApp learning groups to develop your brain.
  • If you have access to capital, invest in a business, not just consumption.
  • Organize with your fellow hawkers and demand better from the government.
  • Be proud of your hustle, but don’t stop dreaming.

A Cry for Action

They hawk, but they are not hawkers. They are human beings, born with brains, dreams, and purpose.

Ebonyians must rise to tell their own story — and change it. The government must go beyond photo ops and take visible, impactful actions to empower our brothers and sisters hawking in Nigerian streets.

It’s not enough to say “come back home.” Make home worth coming back to.

To the Government:

Invest in youth. Empower the hawkers. Build centers of hope. Even if this is all you do in your remaining two years, it is enough.

To the Reader:

If you’re from Ebonyi, share this article. Talk about it. Support someone. Use your voice. Use your platform. Hawking is not our heritage. We can do better. We must.

📢 Join the Campaign

Grassroots Mirro is launching a campaign titled #NotTheirCalling, to spotlight the lives of Ebonyi hawkers across Nigerian cities and demand real empowerment policies.

📧 Contact us at: grassrootsmirror@gmail.com
📱 Follow us: @GrassrootsMirro on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram


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