• Trailers construction workshops
The unprecedented number of trailers in every nook and cranny of Potiskum in Yobe State leads one to assume that the town is a giant mechanical workshop.
There are trailers by the roadsides, in front of and within large mechanical workshops.
There are numerous workshops with trailers at various stages of construction, such that one can assume that all the trailers plying Nigerian highways started their journeys from Potiskum.
Potiskum town has been noted for being a home for many articulated vehicles used for long-distance travels and movement of goods across the country.
Right now, there are over 5,000 trailers and other trucks in Potiskum owned by Potiskum people.
Owners of some of the trucks told Weekend Trust that trailer business thrives in Potiskum due to its strategic location as a major hub for cattle trade in West Africa.
They said trucks from various parts of the world converged on the town to load or offload goods, making it an essential centre for commerce and transportation.
One of the owners of the biggest haulage companies in the town, Alhaji Abubakar Adamu Bazuwa, the managing director of Bazuwa Motors in Potiskum, told Weekend Trust that many businessmen in the town were influenced by originators of the business who thrived during their time.
‘‘I have been in this business for over 30 years. I inherited it from our father, Alhaji Adamu Bazuwa, a well-known merchant in both haulage and livestock business.
‘‘People like Alhaji Barau, Alhaji Yaro Gambo, Alhaji Hamza Dan-Agalam, Alhaji Isa Jajere and my father, Alhaji Adamu Bazuwa, were the backbone of these businesses.
They combined farming, livestock rearing and haulage business to improve their income.
‘‘These people were farmers and businessmen: they grew groundnuts, beans, maize, sorghum and millet. During harvest they sold crops and kept the remaining ones at home for their families.‘‘
When they sold their harvested crops they bought rams and bulls at affordable prices in the livestock markets, fatten them with their harvested animal feeds, and sold them during Eid al-Kabir festivals.
It is a lucrative business. They used to buy trucks and trailers with what they got from this business to improve their income.
‘‘Potiskum town is blessed with trading, farming and the rearing of livestock. These business originators and wealthy individuals became competitors among themselves and groomed their children and mentees to take over from them.
As time went by, death and old age befell these mentors, their children, mentees and drivers who saved a lot and took over the business.
‘‘The good legacies they left behind have yielded positive results. Aside their children and mentees, many people have ventured into the business to earn a living. Right now, there are over 5,000 trailers and other trucks in Potiskum owned by Potiskum people.
(Source: Daily Trust)
