Mrs. Lateef Rukayat, a roadside roasted corn seller in Ibadan, has narrated how she abandoned her hairdressing profession for the roasted corn business to support her family, saying the trade has enabled her to train two of her six children in higher institutions.
Speaking with Tribune On The Street, Rukayat said the popular belief that roasted corn requires little capital is no longer true due to inflation. Although a bag of corn, which previously sold for between ₦30,000 and ₦35,000, now costs about ₦15,000, she said traders still spend heavily on transportation, charcoal and packaging materials, making the business difficult to start.
“Hairdresser is my hard-earned work; it’s my early dream work, and I did freedom after completion,” she said. “I started roasting corn when my hairdressing business was not moving. All my children are in school, with two of them in higher institutions.”
Rukayat disclosed that she ventured into the business in January 2021 with money borrowed through a local lending scheme known as “Network,” saying the loan, which attracted interest, helped her buy her first bag of corn. She added that corn prices have continued to fluctuate since then.
“With God’s mercy, on a daily basis, if I borrowed money and got like ₦20,000 to buy corn, I used to earn about ₦25,000 to ₦27,000 daily. From the earnings, I contribute and that’s what I collect in supporting my children’s schooling,” she said.
She lamented that roasted corn must be sold fresh, as leftovers lose their taste and are difficult to sell the next day. She also recalled making no profit after increasing the price of corn from ₦200 to ₦400 during a period of high costs because customers stayed away.
Rukayat said she has never received a government grant and appealed for lower prices of goods and financial support to help small traders sustain their businesses and cater for their families.
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