‘Many of my male passengers make passes at me… but I’ve no feelings for men any more’

Ajoke, an obscure street in Iwaya, Yaba, Lagos, is not one that many would pray to reside in. A foul smell pervades the air while the surrounding is littered with waste products that range from disused cellophane papers to animal wastes. You could throw up if you are allergic to such smell.

But that is where 57-year-old Princess Roseline Ashore has found an abode with her children. And that is where she retires to every evening after spending the whole day operating Okada (commercial motorcycle), a trade widely believed to be reserved for men. The widow who hails from Kogi State, and who lost her husband about seven years ago, plies her trade at the popular Pako Bus Stop, Bariga, Lagos.

Recalling the circumstances in which she became an Okada rider, the former teacher said:” I was born in Ekinrinade, Ijumu Local Government Area, Kogi State. I attended Okeho-Iganna Grammar School and the Teachers Training College, Lafiaji, Kwara State, where I earned a Grade Two Teachers Certificate.

“I taught for about five years before I quit teaching after months of unpaid salaries. I sold food for a while at the Kwara State College of Education, Oro, Kwara State. But while selling food, I was constantly in debt as a result of my meagre income. My husband, who was still alive then, advised me to switch to another job.”

Faced with harsh economic realities, her husband relocated to Lagos State in search of greener pastures, and it was not long before she also joined him to look for a way out of their economic predicament.

She said: “The harsh condition in which my husband and I found ourselves pushed me into Okada business, a friend had taught me how to ride a motorcycle while I was in school; I have been an Okada rider since 1991 when I relocated to Lagos with my husband.

“We were finding it difficult to feed and care for ourselves. I sat down and asked myself how long I could keep living like that. It was at that point that I decided I that would take to Okada business.

“I went crying to a friend, lamenting my plight. I asked him to give me a fairly used bike which I would buy on hired purchase basis. He agreed on the condition that I would pay N2,400 weekly, which meant that I had to pay N400 daily for six days, since I would not work on Sundays. The bike later started giving me problems, so I had to return it to the owner.”

As would be expected, her in-laws expressed their reservations about her new-found job, particularly because of the risks involved. But Ashore stuck to her guns after convincing them about her safety. “Although my husband’s family initially expressed apprehension over my job as an Okada rider, due to the recklessness of Lagos commercial drivers, I assured them that I would manage to stay out of trouble, and that God would take care of me,” she said.

Asked what her experience had been in a job that is dominated by men, particularly her male passengers, she said men could be troublesome.　 “Many male passengers make passes at me but I usually ignore them. At times, many of them would not want to pay the fare, apparently to stampede me into an affair. But I usually stood my ground, because I already have more than enough responsibilities to grapple with and I don’t want to indulge in promiscuity.

“Some of them would promise to take me out of my problems, but I don’t give them considerations at all. I have been living my life like a man.　 I take care of my children and provide for their needs, because my late husband was no longer taking care of me and the children, even before he died. So, I don’t have feelings for men any more.

“As a matter of fact, the last time I slept with any man, who was my husband, was in 2000. I don’t have any boyfriend and I don’t intend to have any.”

Apart from the death of her husband in 2004, she has had a fair share of misfortune. First, she lost all her belongings to a mysterious fire which gutted her residence a few years ago. She has since been forced to live in a makeshift building made of planks.

“I don’t like talking about this because it brings me sad memories,” she said. “Apart from the loss of my husband, my house all got burnt and I lost all my belongings to the incident. My eldest child also died. But I thank God for surviving all the trouble.

“My colleagues rallied round me in times of trouble, particularly Charly Boy, who apart from securing a brand new motorcycle for me, also stood by me during the burial of my late husband. He gave me financial and moral support despite being an Igbo. I can never forget his immense support to my family during the period.

“It has been tough raising the children. I could not afford to sponsor their education anymore, so some of them have resorted to apprenticeship in various trades. One is an apprentice barber while another one is training to become a disc jockey. I have four boys and a girl who was recently impregnated by a boy. That would not have happened if she was well-catered for. The one training as a barber has just been sent home by his master because I have not been able to pay his training fees since he started.”

Meanwhile, Ashore is currently battling with the injuries she sustained on her legs following an accident she had last year while conveying a passenger to a particular location. Her motorcycle had a head on collision with another one at Gbagada, and she only survived by providence.

She said: “I had never had any accident as an Okada rider until a few weeks ago, while taking a passenger to Gbagada. Another Okada rider suddenly ran into me and my legs were badly damaged. Since then, I have not been able to work, while my responsibilities keep piling up.

“One of the fingers on my leg is yet to heal, and I am currently taking drugs that would relieve me of the pains. I cannot pay the bill if I am admitted in the hospital.”

The need to boost her income led her to attend a seminar where she received training in the printing of bulk recharge cards last year. But she explained that all her effort to raise the initial capital after purchasing the needed tools was fruitless.

“I am not a lazy person at all, which was why I attended a training programme on the printing of recharge cards, all in an effort to augment my income as an Okada rider. I even bought a laptop and a modem for the business, but I can’t afford the start-up capital. We were asked to pay N85,000 to telecoms franchise dealers. For now, I am still hoping that help will come my way, so that I can leave Okada business, since age is no longer on my side.”

She, however, narrated how Rose of Sharon, a non-governmental organisation founded by Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija, gave her a succour, which in a way has been putting some food on her table. She said: “It was late last year. I had gone to attend a programme organised for widows at a branch of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Ebutte Metta, Lagos, when we were introduced to the organisation.

“We were given some forms to fill, and the founder of the organisation later hosted us to a reception where she surprised us. She actually gave about 400 widows at the event loans ranging from N50, 000 to N100,000. It was a revolving loan and we are expected to repay the money within one year.

“Apart from the loan, I was also given two scholarships for my children, which I have not been able to access because there are documents relating to the academic background of the beneficiaries I am yet to secure from their school.

“I used my own N50,000 to open a small kiosk where I sell petty provision items and charge cell phone batteries for people in order to augment my income from the Okada business. I have not even started paying back because of my predicament.”

An attempt by our correspondent to speak with the chairman of the park where Ashore works did not succeed as he was said to be out of town when we visited. But many of her colleagues, who craved anonymity, commended the widow for her courage to work as an Okada rider.

One of them, who identified himself simply as Tony, said: “The woman has been here for a very long time. She is also our chairperson here. Although she recently had an accident, we are praying for her to get back on her feet so that she can be part of us again.”