By Demola Akinyemi, ILORIN

She is a sight to behold on the road. But she does not feel any sense of inferiority about what she does routinely for a living. If there is anything that keeps her going, it is the pride and candour that she has brought into the job of ferrying people from one place to the other in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

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Mrs. Theresa Wunbalni, originally from Imo State, who is widely known as ‘Mama Theresa’, is a certified nurse and is very conversant with the health care delivery system; but she is not providing service anymore in that sector. Her current interest lies in moving people with her tricycle to their destination for the appropriate fares paid.

“Moving people from one place to the other and getting my pay is what gives me joy and job satisfaction,” Mama Theresa, 55, confirms.

Having ditched her other jobs such as sewing men’s wears and embraced commercial motorcycling before settling for riding tricycles, Mama Theresa is settled in her mind that she is doing the right job and adding value to the society.

Married to a retired police officer, Wunbalni began to develop interest in commercial driving having seen women doing so for some time. But not many people, including her police husband, took her seriously or gave her any encouragement when she first mentioned her interest in the job to him.

“I made up my mind that I should be ferrying people with a motor vehicle having enjoyed a ride in one driven by a woman,” she said, adding that it was at that point that “I made up my mind to go into commercial driving”.

Mama Theresa revealed how her husband even laughed off the idea of her riding a tricycle when she first mentioned the issue to him. “My husband did not take me seriously at first but I proved to him that I was very keen on doing the job that is dominated by men,” she explained. And since she ventured into the male-dominated job over 15 years ago, Mama Theresa has no intention of dropping out of the business that is giving her joy and putting food on her family’s table daily.

“I just love what I am doing, moving men and women from point to point in Ilorin,” she stated, adding: “I love coming to men’s space to challenge them”.

Driving Ilorin to Imo, Anambra, Enugu

Before Mama Theresa ditched taxi driving due to dwindling returns, she had ferried passengers from Ilorin to Imo, Anambra and Enugu states, displaying her doggedness and dexterity.

She boasts: “I love this job. I had driven from Ilorin to Benue, Enugu,Anambra with a cab several times”.

Being a unique face in the business of tricycle, which she joined over five years ago, Mama Theresa has become very popular and growing in influence in the public space in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital. She is liked by many and generously patronised by the traveling public. Because of her influence no fewer than 40 other women had enlisted in the business which now boasts of over 475 riders.

The unique thing about her is that she does not pick passenger with heavy load, but takes delight in moving passengers only to the Post Office area of Ilorin and back.

Hire-purchase

The mother of four, who bought her tricycle on a hire purchase and pays back as she makes money, is determined to maintain the highest level of safety while doing the business. She is worried over the attitude of those who are sometimes careless by speeding and making calls while on the wheel, without paying serious attention to their driving.

Mama Theresa said: “This tricycle is not mine. I bought it on higher purchase with over N5 million. I have to make daily payment of N8,500. Its only one day, on Sunday that I’m not permitted to work. I have to do my best to fulfil the terms of the hire purchase because the machine could be withdrawn any month I don’t make payment.”

On how she makes payment under the scheme, she explains: “On a daily basis, I make between N10,000 to N12,000. Out of that, I remit N8,500 to the hire purchase scheme and manage the balance. Within the working hours, I usually rest for an hour and continue to work till I close for the day.

“So, I’m working under pressure, because I hardly attend fellowships during the week or even visit any friend or family member because I wouldn’t want the tricycle to be taken away from me by defaulting on payment.

“I have four children and I feed them from this work. My husband is a retired policeman; he’s into the business of buying and selling and we are pooling resources to cater for our family,” she said.

But the odd job appears to be taking a toll on Mama Theresa. She says that the job does not give her any time to rest as she returns home late and can hardly meet up with home chores at the end of the day.

“Whenever I get home, I don’t have the strength to do anything again. I can’t cook, and sleep with my husband and he doesn’t complain because he understands. I love the work nevertheless.”

Needs help

Mama Theresa, however, begged good Samaritans, philanthropists and even government to assist in getting her a tricycle of her own in order to relieve her of the emotional and financial pressures.

According to her, ferrying people with the machine requires total attention and concentration as it involves life and death with any mistake.

“Let me also commend our chairmen and other members of the executives at Maraba, Post Office and other units in Ilorin for their support and encouragement because though I ply all routes and make daily payment for all the stickers and tallies they always warn the male riders to stay away from me.

“The male riders have been encouraging me; they are always cautious against bashing my tricycle

“I’d like to have my own Maruwa (tricycle) and extricate myself from the hire purchase scheme. Anybody that God touches can please get me my own. I would surely be relieved of the pressures. I’m not a lazy woman, because I like making money.

“Having my own tricycle would give me more time to serve God, and rest because I’m not getting younger; I’m getting older every day,” she said.

The dream of Mama Theresa is to have many tricycles and be able to train other women to continue to make a living from the business and to support themselves and their families from the proceeds.

Passengers praise her

Some of the passengers who routinely patroinse Mama Theresa, spoke glowingly about her warmth and dexterity in discharging her job.

Adeyi Sarafa, a phone accessories merchant at the Post Office area of Ilorin, who relies on Mama Theresa for movement, said: ”I was surprised the first time I saw her beckoning on passengers to board her tricycle here. She is very meticulous and warm. She always picks her passengers right in front of my shop.

“That is why I have never entertained any fear whenever I patronise her. Mama Theresa is also very respectful in her dealings with passengers. She is also very jovial and engaging to the extent some passengers would not even remember that they have reached their destinations.

Another passenger, Glory Adeoluwa, who claimed to have been transported by Mama Theresa, said she was initially reluctant before embarking on her tricycle having noticed that she’s a woman.

“I reluctantly boarded her tricycle at Post Office to Ipata when I was going to the market. Surprisingly she rides very well because I paid very close attention to her, wondering what could have brought her to the business,” she said.

Mama Theresa has become the face of women tricycle riders in Ilorin and she is not in a hurry to give up despite the challenges associated with the tough business, which however gives her the financial muscle to plod on in life.

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