*Photo: A car wash outlet in Lagos*
When I tell people that there are still plenty jobs in Nigeria and the issue is that most of us just do not want to do them for one reason or the other, this true story makes a classic illustration.
I have known this boy (name withheld) here in Lagos for the past ten years and I can testify that he has successfully saved a legitimate couple of millions over the same period by only washing cars. I say “saved” and not earned because I believe he would have earned far more than that.
The boy’s current age would be around 30 or early thirties (he is now a man) and he is an immigrant from one of our West African neighbouring countries. He is a very amiable and humble person who is very focused on his car-wash craft.
If this guy washes your car, you would think it has just been manufactured. Car lots and used car dealers in my area of city queue up from morning till night every day for him to wash for them and he collects between N4,500 to N6,000 to give you his kind of wash.
There are always other boys around him in the same outlet he works who still do regular car wash for between N700 and N1,500, depending on the size of your car, but if you want a total make-over of your car (as we all do once in a while), from engine to boot, and you have the cash, you would not mind to join the queue to get a treat from our guy or come back the following day, if you cannot wait.
Our friend also plays advisor roles and facilitates sales and service of car wash pressured water machines to many car wash centres in Agege. I know he also makes some money by the side doing this.
Now, how did I get to know that this chap has really done well for himself? Over the past ten years or so, he has plied his trade working with about four different car wash outlets that I know around Agege/Iju Road/Oko Oba axis. After working in a particular car wash for about two years or so, he would have a reason to move to another one and before long, most of the customers that were used to him (especially used-car lots) would search for and locate him in his new place. Of course that would spell good fortune for the owner of the new place as they would soon start experiencing high traffic of customers who want to patronize them.
About two months ago, I noticed that the car wash outlet that this my guy was working last remained closed for days. So, I stopped by one day that I was free to ask people around where our guy is now. Note that despite knowing that it was not the boy in question that owned the closed outlet and that he only came to work with them like other people, it was him I was asking after and not even bothering to find out what was responsible for the outlet being shut.
They gave me a description of our friend’s new place and being not too far away, I decided to drive down just to chat with him.
I was not surprised when I got to his latest place and found the place filled with many cars. It occurred to me that this same outlet had been there before now but was not that noticeable as few car owners patronized them.
Our guy later told me that the landlord of the place the former car wash was located increased his annual rent to N2.5 Million per annum which the owner of the car wash business (who was the tenant) said he could no longer afford to pay. My guy now told me that when his former boss (the car wash owner) said he was no longer interested, he personally offered to pay the landlord N2 Million cash for the space to continue running the business but the landlord still refused.
At that stage, I had to ask him again “who offered to pay N2 Million?”, to be sure I heard him right. And he replied, smiling, that it was him.
He continued that it was after all that that he decided to look for this new place who have agreed to collect the same N2 Million annual rent from him and which he has paid. In other words, for the first time, he has now become the owner of a car wash centre where he is paying an annual rent of N2 Million as a tenant.
Being someone that has become close to me over the years, I asked the boy if he had a sponsor and he said no. He said he paid the money fully out of the savings he has made since he started washing cars in Lagos.
Even as he has about five boys currently washing cars in his centre, this chap is not saying because he is now the owner he would go and sit down in an office as the boss. He is still personally washing cars, and if you are not told he is the owner, you would never know with his very respectful demeanour.
Honestly, I was impressed. This is a boy that came to Lagos from his country for the proverbial golden fleece and in about ten years, at only age 30, he is now paying N2 Million annual rent from proceeds of washing cars.
I know our country has her peculiar challenges that can be frustrating but believe me, there are still many legitimate micro and small scale businesses like this my friend’s in Nigeria where you would be shocked with the big money our people are making.
For this boy to pay this amount in cash without bating an eyelid (as he was smiling and joking with me while telling me the story), I would not be surprised if he is worth far more. Yet, he still does not have any air around him.
Nigeria has a huge population and a good proportion of our people have houses and cars. This huge population must also eat, drink, sleep, commute and do other things humans elsewhere do. All these activities create huge markets and business opportunities at different levels for people who are willing to exploit them and some people, like my friend here, who came from another country, continue to do so.
We like to talk about the negatives in our country but is it not this same Lagos someone only recently brought an international hamburger brand to open shop and every time you checked, all their outlets are jam-packed with customers?
We, and especially our youths, must be reminded that there are still ample opportunities and hope to not only make it in Nigeria but to make it big, particularly if we are ready to jettison our distaste for blue-collar jobs, roll up our sleeves and work hard.