Why I dress corporately to hawk pears – Undergraduate
Wuayer Fabian Sughnguter is a 200-level student of Business Management in the Benue State University (BSU). He hawks pears-an edible fruit to pay his school fees and meet his family needs.
In an encounter with our correspondent in Makurdi, the undergraduate who dresses corporately, like a banker, as he pushes his wheel barrow loaded with pears around the metropolis, said people patronise him mostly due to his appearance.
“They (customers) use to patronise me because of my appearance. Even those who do not buy the fruit they take interest in me because of the way I dress. I also dress like this to encourage the younger ones to know that they can use their strength positively instead of engaging in social vices,” he said.
Sughnguter added: “My dressing can also inspire other youths to follow my footstep. My green shirt signifies life, an indication that this fruit is nutritious for a healthy living. In other words, it is my uniform.”
The undergraduate, who is married, spoke about his dream to build a bigger business empire someday as he continues to strive for a better future ahead despite his present little beginning.
According to him, his decision to dress well to hawk his wares is also meant to put into practice what he is being taught at school as a student of Business Administration.
“I want to actualise what I’m learning at school. For lectures, my uniform is a combination of red tie, black trouser and skyblue shirt but for my private business, it is green shirt and black trousers. It is an identity for me and my business,” he added.
Since the pears business is seasonal, Sughnguter said he switches to selling air freshener and other sundry items when it is off season. He said sometimes he sells other fruits such as mango.
“Pears is a seasonal fruit, when the period is over I engage in selling air fresheners and stuffs in that category. When it is fruit season, I also sell mango beside the pears.
He said he has also created a timetable for himself so that his business does not interfere with his studies, adding that he abides strictly to the timing allotted to his lectures and hawking of pears.
“I go to school and carry on with my business after lecture hours. I created my own timetable so that I’m not affected in any way,” he said.
For the 200-level student, he derives great fulfillment from what he does and is not ashamed to carry on with the business in spite of some a few colleagues, who try to discourage him from engaging in street trading.
He said his greatest inspiration comes from God and majority of his school mates, who cheer him on to do what is doing to earn a living.
“Most of my colleagues like what I do, though some of them said they can’t go to that extent to be like me. They, however, encourage me to carry on. But few others when they see me on the streets, they hide because they do not want to identify with me.”
Sughnguter, nonetheless, said he is determined to continue with any legitimate business adding that the pears business yields profit for him and is far better than sitting idle.
He said he makes a profit of between N3000 and N4000 daily from the business.
He said although his wife is engaged in some petty business to augment his earnings the family largely depends on the proceeds of his business for its upkeep.
“I pay my school fees from the proceed and I’m married. I started the fruit-mango and pear business two years ago. The business is lucrative for me and better than being idle,” Sughnguter said.