Meet Amina Ibrahim, The Jos Woman Who Built Two Houses From Bean Cake Business

Even though she is quite old now, Amina Ibrahim, popularly known as Inna Mai Kosai, has been in the business of selling bean cake for the past 40 years, and still looks strong.

She fries the bean cake twice daily – in the morning and evening – in front of her house, around Dutsen Kare kare area, in Anguwan Rogo Community of Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.

From a business that many may not give a chance Amina has been able to prosper and take good care of herself and her family.

Amina ventured into the business of selling bean cake even even before she got married, in her home town, Michika, Adamawa State.

Soon after she got married, Amina said she believed that ‘hustling’ would be her major priority in life and that was why when she relocated to Jos with her husband, she didn’t hesitate to start the bean cake business which had helped her own two houses aside taking up other responsibilities.

But the struggle to achieve that according to her had been very hectic as she would often wake up in the middle of the night everyday to start preparations for the day’s business.

“I often wake up as early as 3.30am to start the preparations. Before that time, I would soak the beans in the water. When I wake up, I pound it in the mortar and thereafter take it to a nearby grinding machine operator to grind it.

“I do all these myself. I don’t give someone to do it for me because if you give it to someone, you will be disappointed. I tried severally, and got disappointed. It would have been good to employ the service of another person to help in the process, but it hasn’t been possible because of what I told you. It is not as if I don’t get tired. Of course, I do but I bear it.

“By 7am, I am already set to begin the frying because customers troop in as early as 7.30am to patronise me. I always come out on time because I don’t want to disappoint my customers as they often rely on my bean cake to take their breakfast. With this, I have been able to maintain my customers for many years and that is why you see adults, young boys and girls coming here to buy the bean cake,” Amina explained.

How I manage to save the money

Amina said she didn’t build the houses in a day but took it gradually until the buildings were completed.

“It is not possible for me to build the houses just over night because I am not rich. What I did was that while doing the business, I joined monthly contribution of a group where all members are expected to contribute a particular amount of money everyday. So, whatever, one contributed, at the end of the month, it was given to one. In my own case, whatever I collected at the end of the month, I save it until when the money was reasonable, I then bought a land and started developing it step by step until the house was completed.

“After I packed into the house, I continued with the monthly contribution and some years after, I saved another reasonable amount and bought the second land, built it gradually and rented it out. Even the one I am living in, I rented out some rooms because I can’t occupy all the rooms in the house, “ she added.

Amina further explained that the business had been so helpful to the family such that even when her husband was not around or didn’t have money, she could feed the house before he comes back or gets the money and pay her back, adding that “Now my husband is late, but I am still able to take care of the family.”

“I believe that what I am doing now from the profit of the business is just the will of Allah, because it solves many problems. The business has been helping me a lot,” she said.

When asked if she had trained any of her children or grandchildren to engage in the same business, Amina said “No, I didn’t train any of them because their father didn’t like it even though he allowed me to do the business. Anytime he returns home, he would ask of their whereabouts to ensure that I didn’t send them out to sell anything. He was so watchful that I wouldn’t dare ask them to hawk or sell the bean cake for me. So, to maintain my relationship with him and allow peace to reign, I obeyed him.

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