On Monday we drove all the way out of Lagos State to visit Fati Boluwaji, a small business owner who owns a small fish farm in Ogun State.
On our way to see Fati and his fish farm, we were stopped by Ogun State "Officials." These men, with little more to identify them as "officials" beyond their neon orange vests and their sheer audacity, informed us that we were not displaying the correct tax sticker and, as such, we would have to pay them the "tax sticker fine" which was, if you can believe it, $114. By now, this situation is starting to become all too familiar to me. For half an hour, we (the 2 Americans) sat parked in a hot car while our 2 Nigerian colleagues argued with the "officials" about how, as a non-profit organization, they are not required to pay taxes least of all "taxes" that weren't for their state of residence and, most especially, "taxes" that are really bribes. Finally, my supervisor called Fati to come down to where we were being held up to explain to the "officials" that we were only there to visit him as "business consultants" who would only be passing through for, at most, an hour and that, as such, requiring us to pay such "taxes" would be a detriment to his business. Finally, they were convinced that we would not pay the bribe and they let us go.
By the way, this makes occasion number 6 that I have been harassed by police/ '" officials" since being in Nigeria for a little over 6 weeks.
After our encounter with more of Nigeria's "finest," we followed Fati to his small fish farm where he kindly showed us where and how he raised catfish.
During our tour of his small operation, Fati explained that the ph content of the water was essential to the success of a fish farm and, with a ph level of .7, this location was deemed "unacceptable" for the fingerlings (baby fish) and had instead been selected for his "older" fish. The fish are raised until they are about 4 months old and then they are sold 100 kgs (bulk-buying Nigeria style) at a time to local buyers.
Fati also told us that one of the problems he had faced in fish farming was that the foreign (American) brand fish food had inconsistent quality - it promised 70% protein and yet, when he had it analyzed, it only contained 50% protein. Such a relatively small difference in protein levels can have an extremely high impact in fish size and weight and, therefore, selling price. To combat this problem, Fati decided to make his own fish food so that he can control both the type and the quality of its ingredients.
As the pictures above show, the foreign and homemade fish food look remarkably similar and yet, Fati claims to have had great success with his own brand. In fact, he has found that its actually cheaper for him to manufacture his own fish food than it was to purchase the other, foregin brand. Fati now makes a surplus of his own fish food which he than packages in 15 kg bags and sells to other fish farmers for a profit of roughly $7.50 per bag.
Fati also explained that, although business selling his catfish had been good, most buyers were purchasing his fish in order to smoke them and sell them, in turn, to the street vendors who sit in the hot sun and sell them as they are pictured below.
Seeing this process as both unhealthy and potentially profitable, Fati has decided to begin smoking his own catfish on-site which he then intends to package in hygienic bags and sell to smaller vendors thereby increasing his potential customer base. Sadly, one of the obstacles he faces is an in-consistent electricity supply. Although a generator will suffice for the time-being, Fati knows that his product would be better if only the power would stay on.
As a very enterprising business man, Fati has also been considering other ways in which to diversify his business further. He explained to us that he's been sampling his target market and has discovered that many young, newlywed women are not acquainted with the traditional way of using catfish in their cooking - most especially in pepper soup. As such, he feels as though he's missing out on a growing slice of his target market. In order to address this issue, Fati is experimenting with a way in which to provide these customers with "instant catfish pepper soup" whereby his less-knowledgeable clients can simply purchase a can of his catfish, add water, and have themselves a delicious catfish pepper soup meal. Sounds tasty, doesn't it?
In our discussions about Fati's fish farm we also asked him about the challenges he faced as a small business owner and, like almost all of the other entrepreneurs and small business owners we have spoken to thus far he listed access to financing as his primary challenge. According to Fati "[In Nigeria] you have to do everything by yourself" as there is no one to support you. When we pressed him further he talked about a time when a particular bank promised to be his business partner and lend him the capital he needed to launch his small business. However, as time went on, the bank began to have "issues"- not with his project but within the system - and ultimately could not find the money within their institution to lend to him. That's right: a bank ran out of money.
Although this was certainly difficult to hear, I was more interested in what Fati said afterwards:
"Other than that [financing issues] all my issues are normal environmental challenges."
"What do you mean by "normal environmental challenges?" - I asked
"Oh, you know" - he said "Corrupt police. Like the ones you saw today. Sometimes they stop my truck drivers and, when the live catfish are inside the truck, they die in the heat."
I felt sorely tempted to tell him that "corrupt police" don't qualify as "normal environmental challenges."
But then it occurred to me that this is Nigeria... Corruption is considered inevitable and, thus, part of the natural environment.
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| Fati Boluwaji - Fish Farmer extraordinaire - Owner of "Agric Business" |
On our way to see Fati and his fish farm, we were stopped by Ogun State "Officials." These men, with little more to identify them as "officials" beyond their neon orange vests and their sheer audacity, informed us that we were not displaying the correct tax sticker and, as such, we would have to pay them the "tax sticker fine" which was, if you can believe it, $114. By now, this situation is starting to become all too familiar to me. For half an hour, we (the 2 Americans) sat parked in a hot car while our 2 Nigerian colleagues argued with the "officials" about how, as a non-profit organization, they are not required to pay taxes least of all "taxes" that weren't for their state of residence and, most especially, "taxes" that are really bribes. Finally, my supervisor called Fati to come down to where we were being held up to explain to the "officials" that we were only there to visit him as "business consultants" who would only be passing through for, at most, an hour and that, as such, requiring us to pay such "taxes" would be a detriment to his business. Finally, they were convinced that we would not pay the bribe and they let us go.
By the way, this makes occasion number 6 that I have been harassed by police/ '" officials" since being in Nigeria for a little over 6 weeks.
After our encounter with more of Nigeria's "finest," we followed Fati to his small fish farm where he kindly showed us where and how he raised catfish.
 |
| Catfish tanks - Agric Business, Ogun State, Nigeria |
Fati also told us that one of the problems he had faced in fish farming was that the foreign (American) brand fish food had inconsistent quality - it promised 70% protein and yet, when he had it analyzed, it only contained 50% protein. Such a relatively small difference in protein levels can have an extremely high impact in fish size and weight and, therefore, selling price. To combat this problem, Fati decided to make his own fish food so that he can control both the type and the quality of its ingredients.
 |
| Foreign fish food |
 |
| Home-made fish food |
As the pictures above show, the foreign and homemade fish food look remarkably similar and yet, Fati claims to have had great success with his own brand. In fact, he has found that its actually cheaper for him to manufacture his own fish food than it was to purchase the other, foregin brand. Fati now makes a surplus of his own fish food which he than packages in 15 kg bags and sells to other fish farmers for a profit of roughly $7.50 per bag.
Fati also explained that, although business selling his catfish had been good, most buyers were purchasing his fish in order to smoke them and sell them, in turn, to the street vendors who sit in the hot sun and sell them as they are pictured below.
 |
| Catfish sold on the streets of Lagos |
Seeing this process as both unhealthy and potentially profitable, Fati has decided to begin smoking his own catfish on-site which he then intends to package in hygienic bags and sell to smaller vendors thereby increasing his potential customer base. Sadly, one of the obstacles he faces is an in-consistent electricity supply. Although a generator will suffice for the time-being, Fati knows that his product would be better if only the power would stay on.
As a very enterprising business man, Fati has also been considering other ways in which to diversify his business further. He explained to us that he's been sampling his target market and has discovered that many young, newlywed women are not acquainted with the traditional way of using catfish in their cooking - most especially in pepper soup. As such, he feels as though he's missing out on a growing slice of his target market. In order to address this issue, Fati is experimenting with a way in which to provide these customers with "instant catfish pepper soup" whereby his less-knowledgeable clients can simply purchase a can of his catfish, add water, and have themselves a delicious catfish pepper soup meal. Sounds tasty, doesn't it?
In our discussions about Fati's fish farm we also asked him about the challenges he faced as a small business owner and, like almost all of the other entrepreneurs and small business owners we have spoken to thus far he listed access to financing as his primary challenge. According to Fati "[In Nigeria] you have to do everything by yourself" as there is no one to support you. When we pressed him further he talked about a time when a particular bank promised to be his business partner and lend him the capital he needed to launch his small business. However, as time went on, the bank began to have "issues"- not with his project but within the system - and ultimately could not find the money within their institution to lend to him. That's right: a bank ran out of money.
Although this was certainly difficult to hear, I was more interested in what Fati said afterwards:
"Other than that [financing issues] all my issues are normal environmental challenges."
"What do you mean by "normal environmental challenges?" - I asked
"Oh, you know" - he said "Corrupt police. Like the ones you saw today. Sometimes they stop my truck drivers and, when the live catfish are inside the truck, they die in the heat."
I felt sorely tempted to tell him that "corrupt police" don't qualify as "normal environmental challenges."
But then it occurred to me that this is Nigeria... Corruption is considered inevitable and, thus, part of the natural environment.
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