ABOKI

Today, I met an *aboki* (street fruit vendor) and was about to buy some fruits from him when a strong body odor hit me. It was clear he hadn’t bathed recently — his clothes were also quite dirty. Still, I went ahead and bought the fruits from him.

This experience left me wondering: Why can’t people in this situation simply buy soap, wash their clothes, or take a proper bath? I’ve seen real hardship during my time in Kano — yet even there, I made sure to bathe twice a day despite the challenges. Many others, however, still didn’t prioritize it, even when small amounts of water were available.

I believe something needs to be done about this issue on a broader scale. *Corpers* (NYSC members) posted in such communities should dedicate more of their *CDS* (Community Development Service) sessions to promoting *physical hygiene* and personal cleanliness education.

Unfortunately, some local leaders seem uninterested in pushing this agenda — perhaps because they prefer to keep the people in ignorance, using religion as a tool to maintain control and enslavement.

We need real change: education, awareness, and collective effort to break this cycle.

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