Chinyere Isaac: I don wash tanker sotay if I dey sleep I dey dream dey see wia I dey wash tanker

Chinyere Isaac

BBC Sport

Chinyere na one out of many young Nigerians wey want to get good education for Nigeria. 

But dem dey find am difficult sake of say dem no get money to go school or get pesin wey go support dem through school.

Chinyere wey narrate her tori to BBC Pidgin don dey wash tanker for two years becos she wan gada di money take go school.

Who be Chinyere Isaac?

Chinyere Isaac na 18 years old girl wey dey wash tanker dem for Aba, di commercial capital of Abia State, Southeastern Nigeria.

She decide to wash tanker becos her parents no get money to train her for school.

“I don wash tanker sotay if I dey sleep I dey dream dey see wia I dey wash tanker”

“Befor I start to wash dis tanker, I go meet my parents dem, tell dem say I wan wash tanker, I wan use am dey help dem and myself too, and dem agree”

How e start

Chinyere Isaac

BBC

Chinyere get di idea to make money from washing tanker becos her elder broad dey do di business, so wit im help she learn how to wash tanker.

“My senior broda dey wash tanker, so I go meet am , tell am say I want to dey wash tanker wit am, im say okay, so wen im dey wash, I go dey rest, na so I take learn am come start di business”

“I dey 16 years wen I start to dey wash tanker, I dey wash one in a day, but now na three I dey wash”.

“Na my work and I no dey shame for di work I dey do, sake of say I dey use am dey make money”.

Di 18 year old tok say na lecturer she dey aspire to be , weda she gada money now or not, she go try to achieve her dream.

“Wen I be small pikin I be wan become lecturer, as e come be like dis, na tanker I dey wash but I know say I go achieve my dream”.

“Di work dey stressful, I go cari bucket go fetch water, come start to wash, wen I finish all my bodi  go dey pain me but I no get choice”.

Chinyere tell BBC Pidgin say her plan na to gada di money wey she don make from washing tanker use am go school, but if di money no reach she go use am go learn handwork.

Chinyere Isaac

BBC

Chinyere be like many oda Nigerian youths wey no get beta house wia dem dey live.

“Wia we dey live befor dem give us quit notice, so wey dey live inside abandon Petrol station, my fear be say I no want make we cari any of those sicknesses”

“Wen my friends find out say I dey wash tanker, dem begin to dey laugh me, dey mock me, some of dem later come dey tell me say I dey try, but me I no mind sake of say na wia I dey get money from ” she tok

How risky di work dey

Chinyere Isaac

BBC

She explain say di tank washing work wey she dey do dey dangerous and risky.

“As di work dey sweet me na so e dey dangerous, sometimes iron go enta inside my leg, sometimes I go hit my head for iron”

She add say sometimes pipo dey use abusive words on her but she no dey listen to dem.

“One day one man tell me say I no get sense, why I go dey wash tanker, instead of me to go hustle well, say I no go ever fit make am for life.”

“I tell am say no need to look down on pesin work, all fingers no dey equal, say one day I go make am.”

“Na condition, no be say na wetin I plan, but how I go do? Na so life be” she tok.