As the harmattan season bites harder in many parts of the north residents have been forced to adopt measures to survive the situation.
Arewa Trust Weekly correspondent reports that the weather has changed the way of lives of many residents as people now come out late and close early from their work.
Many businesses now open from 10 a.m. as against the 8 a.m. schedule or earlier before the advent of the cold season.
Wale Adetunji, a phone repairer, said he no longer ventured out early to his workshop as he used to because of the cold weather.
“I do not go to work as early as he used to due to the change of weather in Kaduna. Before the harmattan set in I used to go out as early as 7am, but now due to the cold weather, I wait till around 10am.”
He said that he had also realized that his customers no longer come out early and that also forced him to change his timing adding that his customers now come between 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Idris Abdulrahman, a sachet water wholesaler said: “Since the cold weather started, there has really not been much sales. Before the harmattan season, we were selling between 300 to 400 bags of sachet water but now sales have dropped to as low as 150 bags at most.
Muhammadu Sani a sachet water hawker said sales has reduced drastically due to the weather.
“Before the season, I used to sell between 17 and 20 bags but now I sell 10 to 12 bags daily.
A tea seller in Bakin Dogo market, Aliyu Auwal said the weather condition has improved his sales.
“The weather is bringing more customers to my business because right now customers troop in and out even by 2:00pm to take tea unlike before this season when by 8:00am or 10:00am business is fluctuating.’’
It is a similar story in Katsina as it has forced sudden changes in social and behavioural attitudes of the residents.
Arewa Trust Weekly reports that temperature in the state gets as low as 7 degrees Celsius in the morning and rises to about 12 degrees by afternoon and then gradually decreases as night falls.
Residents, especially men who usually hold social interactions and catch ups at various places, locally referred to as Zaman Majalisa, are fast closing up.
The cold season is also making housewives happier, as their husbands who usually come home late are now forced indoors.
Khadijat Saulawa said: “In our area the men, especially the married ones, are seen more often at home than before. By 7p.m. the streets have dried up as husbands have returned to their families, I wish it will continue like this.”
Some husbands spoken to said they were now being forced to return early because of the cold weather.
Halilu Bashir said: “Men are known to be outside fending for the family but the cold is forcing us home and the wives are happier.
They should know that people like us have to go and look for money to sustain the house and continuous stay indoors have its repercussions as well,” he added
A commercial motorcyclist, Yusuf ibrahim, said the cold weather has led to a drop in the number of people being ferried.
However, Malam Salisu, who sells tea along Kofar Kaura road said business is booming because most youngsters and bachelors besiege their joints all through the day for a hot cup of tea to warm the body.
“Before the cold period, I mostly operate between 6am and by noon morning session will be over but now it’s almost through till midnight,” he said
It is also a boom for Mohammed Sani, a second hand cloth dealer who says the cold season should continue to enable him sell more of his wares.
“People are daily rushing to get sweaters, jackets for themselves and children, the market is moving and we thank God for it.”
Source: Dailytrust
