Widowed with a child, Elizabeth Sotubo tried not to give in to the mounting pressure of packing up what is left of her small store and quitting.
From selling food stuff on wholesale, Elizabeth is tucked into a small space, scanty; you could count the bags of water and few bottled water in a shop that used to be full of an assortment of goods and essential items. Elizabeth could hardly hold back tears as she narrates the unpleasant business and life journey.
“Because I didn’t go to the University, I tried to make sure that my only child went to school, he was in JSS 1 when his father died; began to struggle to take care of him alone, with no help from anyone; he was able to complete his University; I was very happy” she looked brightened up; but just for a while: “but after University he has been looking for a job, you know in this country if you don’t know somebody you can hardly get a job.” Elizabeth said.
She still continued to assist her son with money to attend interviews for job appointments: “Thank God my son got a job, not too good but he had to manage and start with something” But it never lasted. “The job stopped because of COVID-19 the company could not survive COVID-19” Elizabeth also sold out all her goods as soon as the lockdown was announced so that she can take care of her son who remained a dependent.
“When COVID -19 came, it was a big problem for me; we spent all the money on foodstuff. We had to eat to survive, nobody was buying anything, and the shop was closed and even empty at that time” she said no government assistance was received during the pandemic. “Everybody know this shop before, I use to sell things on wholesale but now you can see that it is empty” she stared around the walls of the store, looking forlorn.
Elizabeth only lives by hope. She hopes the government will give her a grant to start up again; she hopes for help from a good Samaritan: “I am praying for an assistant to come to me so that I can start my business again, so that life to go back to how it was before COVID-19”.
