Muyideen Abiodun Abdulazeez is not the typical meat seller. He has a
private abattoir that is also uniquely different from what you see about
town. He is humble, demonstrates deep knowledge of what he is doing and
seals that with a high degree of hygiene. Yet, the road to the present was
not a bed of roses. First, he paid his dues in the course of training. And that
training was not just about how to slaughter and cut the cow into pieces for
sale but how to make his environment safe for customers’ health and
attractive for those who care about the things they eat. We approached him
for an interview, not because he is the only one even within the vicinity of
his practice but because of the unique features around him. An orphan
whose education was truncated because of the demise of his parents, he
speaks about the support and guidance from his grandmother, who, in the
first instance, was his career adviser. In this interview he had with Michael
Idowu and Johnson Oyeyemi he shows his depth of knowledge and
appreciation of what the customers deserve in terms of good service. He
also speaks about those periods of innocence! Excerpts.
Why did you choose this type of trade?
This is What happened, I was not the one who chose it, it was my
grandmother. She said, she liked it, and I agreed with her. This was 1996.
That was how they took me to a master, where I learned the trade, the
man was so pleasant and good, he was always advising us on what to and
what not to do, that what we were doing was to build our future, we should
not lazy around or move with bad company.
Can you tell us whether your grandmother had prior experience in
this type of trade?
No sir, the only thing I can tell you was that this woman was a wise woman
during her lifetime. Her father was a competent herbalist, she imbibed so
many things from him, and when she talked, you will think she was a seer
or prophetess.
She told me, that “there are many people doing this job and they are well to
do, I will like you to learn the trade”. That was how I found myself at Bodija,
Ibadan, with my masters then. These my masters were so popular then,
one is Suleiman, I can’t remember his surname now, the other one is
Mukaila Olagunju, these were my two masters at Bodija, Ibadan then.
(My grandmother told me) “there are many people doing this job and
they are well to do, I will like you to learn the trade”.
Where were you selling your meat then?
I always sell my wears at Agodi, Gate, Ibadan, while we kill and process
our cows at Bodija.
How old were you then?
I was fourteen years old.
How many of you were serving under these masters then, were you
the only one?
No, I wasn’t. We were ten then, and one of my own blood brothers was one
of us. Many have died though, but I thank God, I am still alive.
Our masters were constantly advising us, not lazy around, not to steal etc,
yet some of us refused to listen, at the end of the day ,we were two that
finished our apprenticeship.
Why two of you?
Thank you, majority were looking for quick money and they left for other
trades, that they believed will give them the type of money they were
looking for.
Can you tell me the name of the second person?
The name is Wale, he is still in Ibadan, up till today. It will interest you that, I
only signed for the trade just eight days before him.
Are your masters still alive?
Yes, the two of them are still alive, as I am speaking with you. Oga
Suleiman is in Lagos, well established, while Oga Mukaila Olagunju, who
was my direct Oga, who taught me, is still plying his own trade in Ibadan.
How many years did you spend in learning the trade?
I spent ten years! My brother, in between these ten years, I saw a lot.
You said you saw a lot. Can you explain that?
As an apprentice, If I refused to go to work, for a day, the following day, I
must collect a letter from my grandmother explaining, why I didn’t show up
a day before. We must not disrespect our seniors, if we do there was
always punishment.
For example, there was a day one of my seniors was abusing me, when it
was getting too much, I had to reply, this reply fetched me serious beaten
from my Oga, and was followed by a letter written to my grandmother
stating my offence and why I should be suspended.
Immediately my grandmother got this letter, she sent for my master, she
begged him, that I was only being childish, that he should forgive me.
My grandmother, then took turn to abuse me in my master’s presence.
Were there other vices that caused problem between you and your
master?
That time, when they give us meat to sell, we must be ready to account for
every piece.
For example, if they give you meat of twenty Naira or thirty naira, and you
happened to sell it more than that, you must account for the extra money
made, hence you will be in trouble.
There was one of us then, called Mutiu, his strategy was to hide extra
money made in the hole of his trousers, he was later found out, apart from
the beating he got for it, the money was also collected from him.
After this, the same Mutiu, devised another method, he bought this white
bathroom slippers, that was common then, he sliced it, and was keeping
the extra money made by him there, our ogas later got to know.
We were nearly frustrated out if the trade, but with God, we kept pushing.
What about your freedom?
This was another challenge, When the time came to set us free, our Ogas
refused.
Why?
We were now, more or less a family, they couldn’t imagine having us leave
them, after ten years and some months, they were reluctant. For me, I was
useful to them, and they liked me.
Were you allowed to have your freedom later?
Yes, we did our freedom, and we were released, to fend for ourselves.
But for me in particular, there was no concrete plans for future, nothing.
How do you mean?
Now on my own, I will just buy cow of two thousand Naira, at times cow of
three thousand, that time, very big, matured cow, was selling for Three
thousand, four hundred Naira.
Day in, day out, I will buy cow, kill, dress and sell, and will start spending
money, nothing like tomorrow, I believe tomorrow will settle itself, no plans
for the future, no investment, whether big or small, it was spending, mostly
on food, and other unnecessary things, since we were getting the money
every day.
So, nobody advised you against the sorry life you were living then?
Thank you, there were so many people advising us against reckless
spending then, but we refused to listen, after all, it was our money.
But there was this particular man then, who used to advise me nearly every
day against the way I was spending money. One day he called me, he said
he will take me to Amuloko, an area in Ibadan to buy land, land then, per
plot was selling for seven thousand, ten thousand, fifteen thousand,
depending on the area.
I did not disagree with him, and this time I had enough money, but just early
one morning, I woke up, I went to where they were selling motorcycle, I
bought one, immediately I got home, I saw the man, he shook his head, he
told me pointedly, that what I had done will attract bad feeling against me,
that, I should be very careful, he then left.
Did his prediction come to pass?
I was using the motorcycle to carry passengers. At the end of the day, I
couldn’t recoup the money I used in buying the motorcycle, not to talk of
making profit, then, I remembered the man’s admonition.
Where did you pitch your tent in Ibadan?
I had no permanent place, what I was doing, was that, I buy and kill cow
every day, people will come to buy from me, head, leg, arm, back etc, that
was how I used to dispose my cow meat then and rarely did I display meat
for sale.
What year was this?
It was early 2000.
When did you leave Ibadan and why?
I can’t remember, the exact year now, what I can remember, was that I ran
into bad weather, and things were no longer going fine with me. I then, had
to leave Ibadan for Lagos, with the hope of a better future.
What did you do after his admonition?
That was when I started praying, that if God can help me, I would want to
have a place, for myself, day in day out, I continued making supplications
to God Almighty.
What then happened?
There was this Christian friend, that I had then, I told him about my
problems, and what I Will need.
He said like how much money would I need; I said if I can get Five hundred
thousand Naira, I would be happy, I told him, I would pay back.
We then parted ways, not quite, five minutes after, from this same friend, I
got alert of Three hundred thousand Naira.
I was happy and speechless.
That was how I started this mini abattoir in the year 2017, with just a small
table and umbrella. Whenever it rained, there would be trouble, because
nothing to shield me. Things were initially very hard, but now, I thank God
for His mercies.
So, there were no challenges?
I told you I had a lot of challenges, at times, I will trek for some few
kilometers before I could board bus or okada, because of lack of enough
money.
Apart from this were there other challenges?
There was a day that the whole stand caught fire, the type of fire you
cannot explain the source. Another time, all the meat we kept in the freezer
turned green, while the freezer was not faulty and there was electricity. My
brother, it was war.
Can you compare what is happening now with when you started?
When I started, I would kill a cow, it would last more than one week before I
could finish selling, but now, I thank God, within a week now, I kill two three
cows. Last December 25,2023 I killed two cows and my customers finished
the two immediately.
Looking back, what is your take about this trade?
What I can say is that the trade is not just an ordinary trade, it’s not what
you just wake up and say this is what I will want to do, it has a spiritual
dimension. Ise awon agbalagba ni ise alapata (Butcher’s job is not for the
faint-hearted). If care is not taken, you can easily get into trouble.
If you are a Pastor or Imam, and decided to start it because you think it is
lucrative, you are deceiving yourself, unless you align with the elders. You
must be involved in the three religions, before you can have a head way.
Another thing is that, as butchers, we own women, but the trade doesn’t
like adultery, if you are adulterous, you will meet your downfall plying this
trade.
“(Butcher’s job is not for the faint-hearted). If care is not taken, you can
easily get into trouble.”
Killing these cows too, needs caution, you know, there are different spirits,
these animals possess them and can turn against you if you are not well
fortified. In this trade, I had collected a large sum of money, and the money
disappeared, without buying anything with it.
How often do you call or relate with your masters when you have
these changes?
I call them from time to time, and they always advise me on what to do.
They will tell me, this our trade is an elder’s trade, I should not be relaxed
nor sleep. By the time they are telling you this, you will know you have to
be on your toes.
Do you pass this down to the boys who work with you?
Of course, yes, I am not against any religion, because in this business,
there is no way you won’t need any of it at any point in time.
Whatever religion you practice, people must know where you belong, God
who created, knew we would need the three.
Do you belong to any Association?
We have a standard Association, we hold in meetings, at Matogun, which is
our own unit office.
What are the benefits in this Association, and which one have you
enjoyed?
What happens is this, they give us lectures from time to time on how we
can advance on this business. For example, they told us, if we are buying
cow, we should go to a recognised market, where they trade in the animal
and others. They also warned us that if we buy stolen cow and we are
caught, nobody will take up our fight.
Does your Association have anything to do with Government or its
Representatives?
Yes, we do. First, in Ogun State, then, the federal level.
We pay dues to our units, where some amount is taken to the state, and
part also to the federal.
Have you benefited anything from either state or Federal government
since you started?
Nothing at all.
Is your Association like a cooperative?
Not at all, the only thing is that, whenever we attend meetings, we are
given tickets, which we pay for, and like I said earlier, the money realised
are shared to state and federal governments.
Did you have any opportunity of attending any formal School?
Yes, I attended, primary School, at a village, after Lalupon, Iyana Ofa, in
Oyo State. My parents tried. After their death, I couldn’t proceed, as
nobody was ready to help. This ended my journey of going to School.
What advise will you give to anybody who is interested in plying this
trade?
The person should not be lazy, he or she should not look for quick money, it
may not be easy initially, definitely, things will turn around, and lastly,
whoever is going into this trade must be prayerful.
What do you think government can do for you to boost this trade?
Government should give us soft loan, to do the business.
If I get enough money, I can turn to a cow Merchant, I will be buying cows
from the North, for sales in the south.
We need money, for rapid expansion.
Looking at your environment, it is clean and organised, what advise
do you have for people who are yet to embrace this attitude?
As a butcher, if you want good people in their large numbers to patronise
you, you need a very good and clean environment.
What goes into your mouth, stomach should be very clean.
You should keep flies and other insects at bay always.
Your clothes, and every other thing about yourself must be clean too.
Whatever you do, people are watching.
“As a butcher, if you want good people in their large numbers to
patronise you, you need a very good and clean environment”.
Some people ply this trade, this days without belonging to any
Association, is there any penalty for them?
Yes, there are punishments, but the most serious thing is the curse, being
placed on them on a regular basis by the elders in the trade.
Some, of them don’t end well, it’s either they are sick, or they run into debt.
The emergency butchers don’t end well.
The job is for elders.
