Opinion
Ibrahim Modibbo Hassan: The life, struggles of economics graduate turned water vendor
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Ibrahim Modibbo Hassan: The life, struggles of Economics graduate turned water vendor
By Mohammed Ismail
Every morning before the scorching sun of Yola rises over the horizon, Ibrahim Modibbo Hassan begins another day of hard labour. At exactly 6:00 am after observing the early morning prayer, Modibbo will check on his elderly mother, ensured the well being of his siblings and take up his treasured weapon, “the water cart” to start a fresh day.
With 12 containers of 20 litre Jerry cans balanced on his cart, he moves from street to street fetching and dispensing water for to his teeming customers for a fee ranging from N700 to N1,000 depending on the distance from the water source.
To many passers-by, Modibbo is simply another everyday water vendor struggling to eke a living and survive in a harsh economy. Few would imagine that beneath the sweat-stained clothes, is a university graduate who earned a degree in Economics with dreams of becoming a financial analyst, entrepreneur or employer of labour but who by a streak of ill fate ended up pushing a water truck.
His story is one of extraordinary resilience, painful sacrifice and an unyielding determination to survive despite overwhelming odds. For Modibbo, life has been replete with strife, struggles and hardship right from the beginning.
Born in 1993, tragedy struck few years later. His father died when he was still a toddler, leaving his widowed mother to shoulder the enormous responsibility of raising him and his siblings, alone.
Growing up without a father meant there was no breadwinner, and no financial cushion against poverty. His childhood was defined by hard work, and responsibility.
As the eldest son, Modibbo quickly realised that circumstances had thrust adulthood upon him long before he attained it. While other children spent their afternoons playing football or enjoying the innocence of childhood, he was searching for ways to contribute to the family’s survival.
Rather than stretch out his hands to beg, he chose dignity through hard work. His first occupation was porting at the bustling Yola market, where he carried heavy loads for traders and customers in exchange for small hand-outs.
The work was physically exhausting for someone barely in his teens. Yet every naira he earned represented another opportunity to remain in school and another meal for his family.
”I knew from an early age that I had no choice other than to follow the hard way. My mother was struggling, and my younger brothers depended on us. If I didn’t work, there would be little or nothing to eat and school would become impossible,” he recalled in an emotion laden voice.
He said he used the meagre earnings from carrying loads to pay his school fees, bought exercise books and occasionally helped provide food for the household.
Through patience and discipline, Modibbo saved enough money to venture into livestock fattening, purchasing a cow and nurturing it until it was ready for sale.
According to him, the modest profit became a turning point. “When I sold the cow, I used the proceeds to pay my university registration and other expenses after I secured admission into Modibbo Adama University, Yola, to study Economics,” he said.
He noted that even gaining admission was not a straightforward journey. “I sat for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) twice before eventually succeeding,” a setback he attributed partly to inadequate guidance and mentoring.
”There were moments I almost gave up because there was nobody to guide me. I had to figure everything out on my own, but determination kept me moving,” he added.
But according to him, his perseverance and years of sacrifice paid off upon graduation. “Walking across the graduation stage with an Economics degree in hand represented more than academic achievement. It symbolised victory over poverty, orphanhood and countless nights of uncertainty,” he said.
Like many young Nigerians, Modibbo believed that education would open the door to meaningful future but instead, graduation ushered him into another harsh reality of a terrain underpinned by uncertainties. As months turned into years without a stable job, the optimism that heralded graduation gradually gave way to the difficult truth confronting thousands of graduates across Nigeria, qualifications alone no longer guarantee employment.
Rather than surrender to frustration or embrace crime, Modibbo once again returned to the trenches doing what he knew best: honest labour. Today, he earns a living selling water across Yola while also trading in red palm oil and other food items at the local market. Although he said he is surviving by the whiskers, Modibbo enthused, “it is better to do something than to remain idle.”
He noted that the money he earns between N1,000 to N2,000 daily from water vending, is relatively on the low side considering the current market forces and economic realities in the country.
He said the income hardly buys food, and other needs of his ageing mother and younger siblings, in the face of rising inflation and soaring food prices.
”There are days when what I make cannot even buy enough food for the family. But giving up has never been an option,” he said in a hushed tone.
Despite the enormous challenges, Modibbo refuses to allow his circumstances to define his fate or his future. Friends describe him as hardworking, humble and deeply committed to community and family good. Those who know him say he has consistently chosen dignity over desperation, preferring menial jobs to begging or engaging in criminal activities.
His story mirrors the experiences of many Nigerian graduates who continue to grapple with unemployment despite years of education. Across the country, university graduates are now driving commercial motorcycles, selling food, hawking goods and engaging in various forms of informal labour simply to survive.
While these occupations are honourable, they also pinpoint to the widening disconnect between higher education and employment opportunities in Africa’s most populous nation. Amidst these uncertainties, Modibbo said he harbours no bitterness.
He expressed hope that with sound health, continued struggles and determination, the sky will be his stepping stone. He said he intends to expand beyond petty trading into a sustainable business that will create jobs for others.
”My ambition is not just to escape poverty. I want to become someone who can employ young people and support families the way I wish someone had supported mine,” he said with a ray of hope in his eyes.
To realise that dream, however, he said, he needs assistance from government agencies, corporate organisations, philanthropists and public-spirited individuals with financial support or business empowerment that would enable him to establish a viable enterprise.
He believes that with the right opportunity, he can transform his years of resilience into lasting economic success. Even amid hardship, Modibbo remains a source of encouragement to other young Nigerians facing similar struggles.
He urges them not to abandon hope, embrace criminality or succumb to drug abuse. “No matter how difficult life becomes, don’t give up. Find something honest to do, however small. Engaging in a legitimate job is better than begging or destroying your future through crime and drugs,” he added.
In a society where success is often measured by wealth and status, Ibrahim Modibbo Hassan reminds us that true greatness sometimes lies not in what one possesses, but in the courage to keep moving despite every obstacle.
His story is not merely about an Economics graduate selling water, it is a story about resilience in the face of adversity, about the quiet heroism of honest labour and about a generation of educated young Nigerians whose greatest struggle is not a lack of ambition, but a lack of opportunity.
Perhaps all Modibbo needs is one opportunity, one helping hand to turn years of perseverance into the success story he has spent a lifetime working towards. What he really needs to up his game, is a gentle push from a dotting, compassionate and spirited soul.
