In a surprising turn, Okada riders bid farewell to Lagos and Abuja, opting for farming opportunities in Jigawa. Discover their reasons and future plans.

After spending years commuting to Lagos and Abuja in pursuit of better work, some okada riders from Garin Iliya village in Taura Local Government Area, Jigawa State, have said adieu to the hectic city life.

This was revealed on Sunday by a few of the okada riders in Taura LGA following their receipt of NG-CARES findings region 2 (FADAMA Support).

They claim that for many years, young people in the village were forced to abandon their homes and communities in search of better opportunities in the far-off metropolis.

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Malam Ibrahim claimed to have worked for years as an okada rider, enduring the risks of mishaps, abuse at the hands of the police, and other perils inherent with riding a motorcycle in a city.

It’s difficult to ride an okada in those cities, according to Ibrahim. We would often get stopped by the police, who would occasionally take our motorcycles. I was constantly apart from my family and there were just too many risks.

“Under Jigawa FADAMA CARES, I received a water pump machine, which I will use to begin irrigation farming.

I can now farm all year round instead of just during the wet season thanks to this. The money I make from my farm would be significantly more than what I was making in Abuja or Lagos.

Another beneficiary, Musa, expressed confidence that his family will have a stable and sustainable future thanks to the new source of income—irrigation farming.

“I’ve had enough of the city. I’m going to stay here, farm, and spend my life contentedly with my family,” Musa wrote.

The goal of the project, according to Umar Idris, State Program Coordinator for Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES), is to assist small-scale farmers and vulnerable households.