A 45-year old masa seller, Rahila Polycarp, says she used the proceeds of the business to sponsor three of her five children in the university.
Masa is a popular Northern Nigerian snack made from maize or rice.
Polycarp told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at Yelenguruza community in Gombe State that she went into masa business when her husband could not get job to cater for the family.
She said: “I have been in the business for over 25 years and masa business made me the breadwinner of my family.
“In the last 25 years of selling masa, I was able to raise my five children in school with the proceeds from the business.”
According to her, though she is uneducated, she has ensured that all her children got the best education she could afford.
“Three of my children are now graduates and have done their national service while the remaining two concluded secondary education in 2022.
“This business has helped me to realise my dream of educating my children and ensure that they are better off today with education.
“I wonder how I would have trained them without knowing how to make masa.”
Polycarp advised women, especially housewives, to venture into businesses that require little capital to start.
According to her, her children would have been school drop outs if she had sat at home waiting for her husband to cater for the family.
“Start little and be consistent, don’t wait for your husband to do all the works because those times when only men work to care for the family are over.
“There were days I had to borrow money to buy ingredients for masa making and after the day’s business I return the money I borrowed and use the profit to respond to household needs.”
Polycarp who still sells masa after 25 years, however, said that the pressure of selling to meet household demands had reduced compared to the past, as she now gets support from her children.(NAN)
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