Everyday, This Woman Stays Right Beside the Ikorodu Cemetery... [DIARY]


Ikorodu residents call her Iya Bury (Custodian of the Cemetery) but she says:
“I like the name but I’m not a ghost”
While many Nigerians would not want to be found anywhere near a cemetery, she has established a reputation that has earned her the name, ‘Iya Bury,' a Yoruba name that means 'Custodian of the Cemetery' (when translated into English).

The permanence of the name has been so affixed to her persona to the extent that many don’t even know her real names.

However, in a chat with Express, Mrs. Risikat Sonaike, a resident of Ikorodu revealed the details of how she came about being rechristened Iya Bury.
She was born 46 years ago into the Ikorodu community and has lived all her life therein.
In a calculated bid to make ends meet, she decided to complement the effort of her husband by selling foodstuffs such as raw rice, beans, and other raw food items. Like every other entrepreneur, she hoped to make enough profit to sustain the trade as well as offering financial support to her husband.

However, in sharp contrast to her financial demands, her investments didn’t live up to expectations and as expected, she began to look in other directions.

“I used to sell foodstuff before now. I stopped because I wasn’t making as much money as I expected.”
Within a very short time, she pulled her acts together and decided to channel her business acumen into selling roasted plantain.

The fact that she sells roasted plantain for a living is probably not news but the fact that she plies her trade just beside the collapsed walls of the Ikorodu Cemetery (in Ajayi Close in Ikorodu) became a major concern for many.

However, within a very short time, her investments began to yield so much fruit that her teeming patrons and neighbours collectively dubbed her ‘Iya Bury.’

Despite the odds, the 46-year-old woman openly admitted to Simply Samad that she has no regrets doing what she does. Rather, she explained that locating her make-shift shop next to the dilapidated walls of the cemetery has been a blessing in disguise. 

To underscore her claim, she disclosed that she works from Monday through Sunday every week. When asked why she doesn’t take any day of the week off to rest, she says, “I work everyday; from Monday to Sunday. There’s no off day o. If the government can give me money, then maybe I might consider giving myself a day to rest but if that doesn’t happen, it’s business as usual for me.”

However, despite her nerve racking work schedule, Mrs. Sonaike disclosed that despite the demands of her job, she still finds time to make her husband feel like a man at night.

“Yes I still have time for my husband at night (Laughs). I have three children now. I’ve been married for over 23 years.”

Asked why she was named Iya Bury, she goes ahead to tell her story. “Don’t mind them o. They’ve been calling me ‘Madam Cemetery’ since I got here. They do so because I sell roasted plantain directly beside the cemetery. I’m not a dead person. Look at my mother sitting next to me. I’m not a ghost o. I’ve been selling this roasted plantain beside this cemetery for over two years.”

Speaking on the lucrative nature of her trade, she admits that like every typical business venture, there are good and bad days.

“Compared to the time when I was selling raw foodstuff, I’m making more money selling this roasted plantain. It’s more lucrative. On a good day, I can make as much as N2, 000. However, on a bad day, I make about N800. I sell one roasted plantain between N30 and N50.”

She however appealed to the government to come to her aid by providing her a platform on which she can expand her trade. “If the government wants to help me, they should give me more capital to work with. If I get about N100, 000, I would be a better trader.”

One scary yet interesting aspect of Mrs. Osunaike’s plantain venture is her love for the trade. “I love what I do. I derive a lot of satisfaction from doing it and I’m happy.

A lot of people patronize me including workers, students and many others. However, workers buy the most when compared to other category of customers.”

Source: Simply Samad's DIARY

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