Why I Wear Suit and Tie to Sell Kolanut - Hawker in Abuja Explains (Video)

It is not everyday you get to see people like the subject of today’s article. Zubairu Ibrahim Sulaiman is a 24 year old trader who is making quite the impression on people all over Abuja and the internet because of the way he dresses to hawk kolanuts on the street.

Unlike most hawkers who wear whatever they can find to put on and get to work, Zubairu takes quite some time to prepare his outfits so that he can present himself in a specific way to buyers on the street.

In an interview with BBC, the very optimistic and cheerful trader opened up about WHY he wears a suit to hawk his kolanuts and what he says to people who believe that his dressing is too much for a person selling kolanuts. Are you ready to dive in and see what Zubairu said? Then let’s go!

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Speaking to BBC, Zubairu said (in pidgin which I’ve translated to plain English for easy reading):

People ask me why do I sell kolanut and wear suit and tie. Like this I am happy, abi am I not happy? I’m happy, because everything is clean. My own kolanut is clean. Me myself am clean. My clothes are clean, I have ironed it. If I have perfume, I’ll put it on.

My name is Zubairu Ibrahim Sulaiman from Kaduna. I’m 24 years. I dress like this and sell kolanut inside traffic on Karu Bridge. I’ve been selling kolanut for 3 years. Every morning, I must swag. I carry my socks, put it on my leg. Carry my shoe, polish it, then put it on my leg. I iron my clothes, shirt, tie, and suit. I wash my hair, I brush it. I carry my face mask, my eye glass. Then I go and sell kolanut.

I respect the suit even though the heat is worrying me or not, I don’t care, I like it. People tell me I dress too much for someone that is going to sell kolanut. I tell them okay, if you don’t like my kolanut selling business, no problem – give me another work that will be better than this one. What I have is good in my hand. If you don’t like my business and say it’s too small for you, then give me something better so I can change the work to something that will give me more money than my kolanut selling.

I have a girlfriend in my village and it’s remaining one year till I’m finally able to marry her. I want to marry her one year from now, that is in 2022. My girlfriend likes this suit too. Me I like it, how will she not like it? If she doesn’t like my dressing then she doesn’t like me. She loves my dressing and she loves me too.

I left my village and came to Abuja. Before I came here, it’s cow work I used to do. I used to follow cows into the bush. I came to Abuja to find money so I can send it back to my father and brother. That way, they can use the money to buy more cows and continue to follow them. I just want to find money in Abuja, then go to school again. If I go to school now, I’ll like to be a banker.

What a character this man is. I really love his positive energy and spirit. Keep rocking your suit Zubairu!

That’s All.

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