12-Year Old From Cross River State Sells Newspaper To Pay Her Fees ''I Started At 9 And Sometimes I Help My Parents When There Is No Cash With Them''

Vicky, a newspaper vendor said she started plying the trade aged 9 and in Junior Secondary, JSS III in WAPI, disclosed that she made an average of N500 and N600 daily from it. she said: 

“I also gave the regular (daily) for N50.00 and sports newspaper for N20.00 to those who came here to read and return the paper and still sold the paper to those who wanted to buy.’’

She attends the afternoon session of her school which affords her a lot of time to do her business. 

‘’Gov Ayade used to buy papers from me. Many prominent people live in this area, commissioners, House of Assembly members, judges, businessmen and even the present governor of our state before he became governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, used to buy papers from me,” she said.

Vicky wakes up at 5.30 every morning and heads to the newspaper distribution point on Bassey Duke Street, to collect the day’s papers when they arrive from Port Harcourt and Asaba every morning and by 8.00 am, she would be at her strategic position where customers would come and buy newspapers. 

‘’If there is a breaking news, before I get here, people are waiting for me, but some days, especially during the rainy season, because of the bad roads, papers arrive here late, except during weekends whether bad road or no bad road, the van drivers do manage to get here on time since the papers are produced early,” she said.

“I use the money to meet my school needs, but sometimes, I help at home when my parents ask me to, may be they have no immediate cash at that time.”

She said she was yet to decide if she would continue being a vendor after her education, but for now, the business was quite lucrative.