At a corner of the busy roadside in Omentan, Warris Delta State, a thin man is sitting next to a wheelbarrow tire, rubbing his oil-stained hands with an old cloth. This is Mr Christian Ughovwa, 43, a tire repairer whose hands and eyes reveal tales of hardship, determination, and silent strength. Every day, he rises before sunrise, unsure if he will make enough to feed his family of five children, soon to be six.
Mr. Christian, originally from Ughelli North Local Government Area in Delta State, informed Saturday Tribune that, like all others in the nation, he is striving to make ends meet.
"I'm just trying to get by. Each day I wake up, I have no idea what it will bring," he says, offering a weary smile and gazing into the distance with a distant expression.
Christian is more than just a vulcaniser. He is an individual who has continuously strived, and still does, to build a better life using the limited resources that life has provided. He has been living with the woman he refers to as his wife for many years, but has not managed to legally marry her. "There's no money," he states plainly. The couple has five children: two sons and three daughters, with another one on the way. The burden of responsibility weighs heavily on Christian's shoulders, yet he bears it with a blend of elegance and determination.
His life has been influenced by challenges and a strong determination to endure. Following primary school, he entered the realm of low-paying jobs. "I pushed wheelbarrows, trucks, did concrete work—anything just to have food," he remembers. Later, he chose to study electrical work and spent three years learning how to fix electrical devices, even though the complete training was supposed to take five years. "I had become skilled in the job," he states, but his older brothers were unwilling to assist him in starting a business. "They claimed I hadn't completed the training."
With the door shut, Christian found himself searching once more. It was his church community who continued to provide him with opportunities. One member advised him to learn how to repair keke (tricycle). He decided to give it a shot. Back then, during Goodluck Jonathan's leadership, life was more manageable. "At that time, I could earn N4,000 a day," he recalls. "Things were more affordable, and that N4,000 was enough to support my family for three days."
However, as the years passed, the economy became more difficult. The amount of money remained unchanged, but its value decreased. Eventually, Christian stopped doing keke work. "I had begun fixing items in the keke, but I had problems with repairing engines," he explains. Once again, a member of his church offered assistance and recommended he learn vulcanising. "She mentioned that her husband used it to support their family," Christian adds. He took the advice, and now vulcanising is what sustains his household—just barely.
Despite having completed three different handcrafted projects, life continues to be a daily challenge. "On a good day, I can earn around N10,000," Christian mentions. "But there are days when I don't earn anything at all." And even when he does make money, the increasing cost of living takes away any feeling of relief. "You earn money, but when you go to the market, the money seems like loose change," he says with bitterness. "It's really painful."
Christian's dissatisfaction with the country's condition is evident. "Across all governments, there's no change," he states. "They don't care about people like us. We are the ones facing daily challenges." He thinks the answer is genuine empowerment—educating individuals with skills, assisting them in launching businesses, and offering opportunities. "If they truly empower people, not just with empty words, things will improve," he emphasizes.
His existence is more than just a story of struggle, but one of inner resilience. Even though he has faced disappointments along the way, he keeps moving ahead, making every effort to support his expanding family. "I'm not lazy," he states with a sense of quiet dignity. "I have three types of work—electrical, keke repair, and vulcanizing. I just need assistance to expand."
As he leans back over the tire he was repairing, his last words resonate profoundly: "It's not that people don't want to work. But how can you work when everything is working against you? We're simply trying to get by. Every day."
The tale of Christian Ughovwa is not unique. It reflects the experiences of millions of Nigerians whose resilience and abilities are hindered not by idleness, but by a system that turns existence into an everyday struggle. His voice is just one of many, calling for a nation that pays attention, supports, and takes action.
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Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).