Di ‘First class graduate’ turn street artist wey fit draw you in five minutes

To draw pesin under five minutes no be wetin pipo dey see evri time.

Ahmed Garuba wey pipo sabi well well as Ahmed di Artist for Abuja, Nigeria capital city na professional painter wey fit use pencil draw pesin in five minutes.

E dey spend most of im time for fuel stations to make small small money wey e fit dey use survive.

Since di removal of fuel sbisidy wey don lead to di increase in price of petrol Ahmed no dey too see many cars for stations again.

Some of di few pipo wey dey even drive in to buy fuel no dey smile – dis new reality dey affect di sketcher.

BBC News Pidgin follow Ahmed tok for interview wia e tok about how im develop di skill of drawing sometin in five minutes, ogbonge skill wey don attract attention to am.

E dey do art works for diefferent forms like landscape, portrait and abstracts.

Im tok say im graduate wit first class from Ahmed Bello University, Zaria, north central Nigeria and im drawing make am dey among di 10 best Catoonists dat year for Zaria.

Afta im graduation from Univeristy, im join one newspaper company wia im dey draw cartoons.

Ahmed kontinu wit im cartoon drawing for di newspaper before di paper fall.

Since dat time im begin hustle dey find oda means to survive sake of say im no get money to open studio and live im dream life, e tok.

Ahmed tell BBC News Pidgin say na as im dey find ways to survive im begin waka from one petrol (filling) station to anoda for Nigeria capital city to dey draw pipo for small money.

“To draw pesin live wey dey move wey no be picture dey hard but e no dey take pass five minutes to draw pesin.

“Some dey appreciate my drawing while odas dey troway am,” e tok.

‘I don chop hot slap ontop dis work’

Ahmed Garuba say sketching na im only source of income and way to survive.

Like evri oda pesin wey dey try make a living Oga Ahmed say im also don get im good and bad moments wey im no go ever forget since im start dis work.

E say wen e draw pesin and di pesin no appreciate am “e dey make me feel very bad and terrible. I believe say artwork na beta tin and e dey worry me well well.

“I know say I sabi work and paint well well so anytime I wake up for morning I go waka go different different petrol stations for Abuja dey look pipo to draw.

In five minutes I go look pesin draw am give am di portrait. Some pipo go like am collect am, give me any amount of money wey dem like becos I no dey charge, while some pipo go insult me, tear di drawing or throway di drawing for my face, but na like dis I dey survive”.

E say im most embarrassing moment since e dey do dis work na slap wey e collect afta e draw one man – “di man collect di drawing, tear am come give me hot slap, e take me days before I comeback to normal. E pain me well well sake of say I feel say I no do anytin bad, I just draw am give am di sketch.”

‘Petrol increment don affect my work’

Di power of arts dey visible for oga Ahmed Garuba life.

Im narrate to BBC News Pidgin say antytime im dey draw im blood pressure dey come down and im dey also find happiness.

“Artworks and drawing dey actually bring down my blood pressure, even if I dey vex anytime I look pesin draw I dey happy.

“If I dey draw, sometimes I dey tok to describe wetin I dey draw, e dey make me dey fast well well.”

Im say di increment for petrol price dey affect im work well well.

E explain say pipo no dey too come Petrol station like before to buy fuel and even if dem come, dem don already calculate how much petrol dem wan buy so pipo no dey give am money like before again.

“Before dem increase fuel I dey get like (N5,000) five thousand naira in a day some times e dey pass but now I no dey make N2000, sometimes I go go back empty.

For my life I no sabi beg, na only dis artwork nain dey get me wetin I dey survive with.”