INSIDE THE WORLD OF NIGERIA’S INFORMAL WASTE WORKERS
Sabi'u, a Nigerian waste picker The informal waste workers are people who make a living from waste but are not formally tasked with providing the service by the authorities. Common names for the category of waste workers in this article are baban-bola, onye mkpo ahihia, kole kole, asa-idoti, scavengers, and waste pickers. The data I will be referring to in this article is from a survey of six dumpsites (illegal and government-approved) in Abuja, Nigeria. The average age for a male informal waste worker who makes a living out of Abuja’s dumpsites and bins is 23 years, they are mostly migrants from other states in the Northern part of Nigeria such as Nassarawa, Kano, Katsina, Zamfara, and 72% migrated to Abuja in search of greener pastures within the last five years. Some of the occupations they were engaged in prior to relocation are farming, vehicle repair, equipment operation, and so on; some of them also mentioned that they were jobless before re...
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