Across cassava-producing communities, women sustain one of Nigeria’s most consumed staple foods through a layered system of labour, ownership, and machinery, where survival work continues daily under trees, makeshits shelters and within processing centres
The smell of fermented cassava hangs in the air long before the work comes into view, sharp, sour, and heavy in the morning heat.
In Gabaraku in Bida Local Government Area and Gwada in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, among other areas, women are already at work beneath scattered trees, sitting on bare ground with buckets, knives, and piles of cassava tubers spread around them.
A few steps away stand government-supported processing centres established under the Federal Government/ International Fund for Agricultural Development, (IFAD)-backed Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) in the state.
They are functional with platforms, water points, and structured processing spaces. But the most visible labour is happening outside the centres.
Under the trees, the work begins
Nigeria produces more cassava than any country in the world, yet much of it is still processed by hand.
Nigeria remains the world’s largest producer of cassava, with annual output running into tens of millions of metric tonnes.
A significant portion of this is processed into garri, a staple food eaten daily across homes. In practical terms, millions of Nigerians rely on garri every day, making it one of the most consistently consumed foods in the country.
Across cassava-producing communities, women dominate the processing stage from peeling and washing to frying and drying.
In many rural clusters, they make up the overwhelming majority of the workforce, sustaining a system where production depends more on physical effort than machinery.
It is this largely unseen labour that keeps garri available in markets and homes across the country.
Economy built in layers
What unfolds is not one system, but several working at once.
Some women own cassava and bring it for processing into garri for sale.
Others do not own anything. They survive through daily labour, peeling cassava, pressing sacks, or frying garri for small payments.
A third group standing slightly apart comprises machine owners who provide grating services for a fee.
Together, they form the hidden structure behind one of Nigeria’s most consumed staple foods.
Hauwawu Under The Tree
Under a tree in Gabaraku community, 22-year-old Hauwawu sits on the bare ground, peeling cassava with steady, practiced movements.
Beside her, her four-month-old baby lies on a small cloth spread over the dust.
Around her, other women continue working with knives scraping cassava in a rhythm that does not break.
At one point during the visit, the baby is lifted briefly and held for a few minutes.
There is no pause in the work.
Moments later, the child is returned to the cloth. Hauwawu adjusts it slightly, leans forward, and continues peeling cassava as the cluster around her carries on.
Her hands do not stop.
“I don’t have anything doing,” she stated quietly, adding: “So I come out every day to peel cassava to earn something for my children.”
Halima: Years Of The Same Work
Not far from her, Halima, 45, works through her own pile of cassava, her wrapper tied tightly around her as she peels.
Her hands move steadily, though slower than the younger women around her.
“I have been doing this work for years. It is not easy, but it is what we have,” she explained.
She paused briefly to stretch her fingers before returning to the pile:
“If I don’t come out, there is no money for the day.”
Around them, cassava peels gather on the ground as dust rises in the heat.
Amina: Eight Children To Feed
Amina, a mother of eight, sits on a low stool beside a growing heap of cassava, peeling quickly as the morning heat builds.
Her work is constant, driven less by routine and more by urgency.
“I have many children to take care of,” she explained without looking up.
“If I don’t come out to work, there will be nothing at home,” she further stated.
She adjusted her wrapper and continued: “This work is what keeps us going.”
The Crushing Machine And Its Owner
At the centre of the process, the sound changes.
A machine roars as cassava is fed into it in steady batches. The machine is owned by an individual operator who charges for each use.
Women arrive with basins of peeled cassava, waiting their turn as the machine runs continuously.
Wet cassava mash spills out in thick heaps, quickly gathered by waiting hands before the next batch follows.
Some women without cassava of their own remain near the machine, assisting by feeding cassava into the grinder or carrying the mash away.
They are paid small amounts for their effort.
In the whole process, the machine owner does not peel or fry.
as his income comes from every turn of the machine.
From Pressing To Fire: The Work Does Not Slow
After grating, the cassava mash is packed into sacks and tightly pressed to remove excess water.
The liquid drains out sometimes through channels provided at the processing centres, and in other cases directly onto the surrounding ground where drainage is limited.
The mash is then left to ferment briefly before further processing.
From here, it is sieved to remove fibres and lumps, breaking it into fine granules ready for frying.
Processing takes different directions at this stage depending on use.
Some batches are taken straight to the frying stage to produce garri commonly used for making eba, a staple swallow eaten in many homes.
Others are allowed to ferment longer, developing the sour taste preferred by those who soak garri in water for drinking.
Near the frying area, Kaka, 50, stands over a wide pan, turning garri over firewood.
Smoke circles her face as heat rises sharply from the stove.
“This work needs strength,” she noted without stopping, adding: “If you are tired and you stop, the garri will burn”
She adjusted her stance slightly and continued stirring.
“We have been doing it like this for a long time,” she added.
After frying, garri is spread out to dry.
Some women use elevated platforms provided within the processing centres.
Others spread theirs on sacks or bare ground under the sun, depending on where they work.
Children move in and out of the workspace. Some helping, others sitting quietly beside their mothers.
Not all women occupy the same position in this system.
Cassava owners carry the risk and eventual profit of production.
Labourers depend on daily earnings from peeling, frying, and processing while machine owners earn from service.
But across all three, income remains uncertain.
The Price Of The Day’s Work
Gogo sits beside a sack of finished garri, tying it carefully as others prepare theirs for sale.
Her work for the moment is done, but the uncertainty remains.
“The problem is selling,” she observed, adding: “You can work all day and still not get good money.”
She tightens the sack and looks toward the others.
“Sometimes buyers come and price it low. We don’t have a choice,” she stated.
Inside And Outside The Structure
Inside the processing centres, cooperative members work with training, shared facilities, and access to organised markets under the VCDP programme.
One beneficiary, Patience Jeremiah, says the training has improved her processing methods and helped her access better market opportunities.
But just beyond the centres, independent women continue differently.
They are not part of cooperatives.
“We want to be on our own,” one woman says.
They rely on daily labour, informal buyers, and flexible arrangements that allow them to earn as they work.
Both systems exist in the same communities — side by side, but not together.
The End Of The Day
As evening approaches, the rhythm begins to slow.
Sacks of garri are tied and lifted.
Firewood smoke fades into the air just as the smell of cassava lingers across both the processing centres and the open spaces under trees.
Each sack represents hours of labour, peeling, crushing, pressing, sieving, frying, and drying and carried out through multiple hands and multiple systems.
In Nigeria’s cassava economy, garri is not just produced, it is worked into existence daily.
And under trees and inside processing centres alike, the same labour begins again when morning returns.
The Lagos State Government has raised alarm over the growing sand depletion deposits across the state, warning that unchecked dredging activities could worsen construction costs, damage aquatic ecosystems and threaten food security.
“We need proper data. We need to know how many people are dredging, how much sand is being dredged daily, and what is left within those areas,” the Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Dayo Bush Alebiosu, said during the ministry’s two-year scorecard presentation at the annual ministerial press briefing held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre.
Alebiosu said increasing demand for sand used in reclamation and infrastructure projects, particularly within the Lekki-Ajah corridor, had intensified pressure on available deposits across Lagos.
According to him, developers handling reclamation projects in Lekki and Ajah now source sand from communities as far as Ikorodu, pumping materials across distances of between 10km and 12km because deposits in closer locations are becoming exhausted.
He said the development confirmed fears that sand resources around Ajah were gradually running out, stressing that the state government has become more cautious in issuing dredging licences and permits.
The commissioner warned that the continued depletion of sand reserves could significantly increase the cost of construction and infrastructure delivery in Lagos, thereby placing additional pressure on housing and urban development.
He also linked indiscriminate dredging to threats to food security, especially in fishing communities that depend on healthy aquatic ecosystems for their livelihoods.
“It is putting food security at risk. We are encouraging people to consume more protein, such as fish, but whenever dredging disturbs aquatic life, fishermen are forced to work harder, and naturally, the cost of fish goes up,” he said.
According to Alebiosu, aggressive dredging disrupts aquatic microorganisms and marine habitats, forcing fishermen to travel farther and spend more resources before making catches.
The commissioner further disclosed that host communities are increasingly facing infrastructural damage caused by heavy-duty dredging equipment and commercial activities associated with sand excavation.
He cited Ibese as one of the affected communities where roads and public infrastructure have reportedly deteriorated due to dredging operations.
Alebiosu said the Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development remains the agency legally empowered to regulate dredging and sand dealing activities in Lagos State.
He added that the ministry collaborates with relevant agencies, including the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning, as well as host communities, to tackle illegal dredging through monitoring, enforcement and whistleblowing mechanisms.
The commissioner also urged residents to support enforcement efforts by reporting illegal dredging activities, noting that some operators deliberately conceal their activities to evade detection.
“We cannot continue blaming foreigners alone. We must ask ourselves how they got there in the first place. They definitely have the connivance of some locals,” he said.
The Lagos State Government reaffirmed its commitment to stricter regulation of dredging activities to curb environmental degradation, protect waterfront communities and ensure the sustainable use of natural resources across the state.
A statement released later on Thursday by the Director, Public Affairs of the Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Morenikeji Akodu, noted that commissioner warned that the increasing desperation for sand across Lagos was already exposing the dangers of over-exploitation of waterways and coastal resources.
He also warned that the development pointed to mounting pressure on available sand deposits across the state and underscored the need for stricter regulation and proper monitoring of dredging activities.
The Kaduna State Government has intensified public awareness and emergency preparedness efforts following forecasts by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency that the state may experience flooding during the 2026 rainy season.
The government said the move followed the release of the 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction report by NiMet, which identified Kaduna among states likely to witness above-normal rainfall this year.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, said the government had commenced coordinated sensitisation and disaster response initiatives to minimise the impact of flooding and protect lives and property.
According to the statement, rainfall in Kaduna State is expected to commence between May 19 and June 10, 2026, while cessation is projected between October 5 and October 21, 2026.
The statement further noted that the forecast indicated the possibility of a severe 21-day dry spell between June and August, a development that could worsen flooding and other environmental challenges.
“The Kaduna State Government is taking this forecast seriously. Early preparedness and public cooperation remain critical to reducing the impact of flooding on our communities,” Maiyaki stated.
He disclosed that the Ministry of Information and Culture, in collaboration with the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency, had launched a statewide sensitisation campaign aimed at educating residents on flood prevention, mitigation and safety measures.
Maiyaki urged residents to clear drainage around their homes and business premises and desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse into waterways.
He also advised residents in flood-prone communities to adopt preventive measures, including the use of sandbags and other local flood control measures.
The commissioner appealed to traditional rulers, religious leaders, media organisations and civil society groups to support government efforts by promoting environmental sanitation and disseminating verified information to the public.
“The safety of citizens remains a top priority for the Kaduna State Government. We will continue to work with all relevant agencies and communities to ensure timely information dissemination and effective disaster risk reduction measures throughout the rainy season,” he added.
The statement further disclosed that KADSEMA had commenced vulnerability assessments in flood-prone communities, strengthened emergency response coordination and begun pre-positioning rescue materials and personnel in high-risk areas.
Flooding has remained a recurring challenge in several parts of Kaduna State and across the country during the rainy season.
In recent years, heavy rainfall has led to the destruction of houses, farmlands and public infrastructure in several communities, while hundreds of residents were displaced.
In 2024 and 2025, parts of Kaduna metropolis, Kafanchan, Zaria and some riverine communities witnessed severe flooding following torrential rains and poor drainage systems, prompting repeated warnings from emergency management agencies.
The Nigerian Medical Association, Akwa Ibom State chapter, has said it will institute a N1bn legal action against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged assault on one of its members, Professor Eyo Ekpe, during a raid at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Akwa Ibom State.
The association on Wednesday said the planned suit followed what it described as physical, emotional, professional and institutional damages suffered during the EFCC operation at the hospital on Tuesday.
It was gathered that EFCC operatives had stormed the UUTH while investigating a fraud case involving a suspect, a move the commission said was to verify a medical report submitted by the suspect.
The EFCC, in its explanation, said its operatives later visited the Chief Medical Director of the hospital “as a last resort to make further enquiries,” but claimed they were met with resistance, adding that the team eventually withdrew without disrupting hospital activities.
However, the NMA said the operation led to the alleged assault of Professor Ekpe, a cardiothoracic surgeon at the hospital.
Addressing a press conference in Uyo, the state NMA Chairman, Professor Aniekan Peter, said the decision to approach the court was part of resolutions reached at an emergency meeting of the association.
He said, “We observed that Prof Eyo Ekpe was apprehended within the premises of UUTH by masked EFCC operatives who physically assaulted him, beat him to the point of bleeding, handcuffed him alongside other doctors and hospital staff who attempted to intervene.
He also alleged that the NMA chairman was affected during the incident, saying, “Professor Peter, Akwa Ibom NMA chairman, was shoved and exposed to teargas when he approached the scene seeking clarification from the operatives.”
The association described the hospital environment as “sacred” and said it should not be subjected to violent operations by security agencies.
It added, “We shall institute a legal action against the EFCC with a demand for damages in the sum of N1bn for the physical, emotional, professional and institutional damages caused.”
The communique, read by Assistant Secretary of the association, Dr Unyime Ndoh, and endorsed by Professor Peter and Secretary Dr Ighorodje Edesiri, said the association would not return to work unless its demands were met.
The demands include an apology to the affected doctors and identification and prosecution of those involved in the operation.
The NMA also said there was no prior formal invitation to Professor Ekpe or its leadership before the incident, describing the raid as “barbaric, degrading, inhuman and a gross violation of the sanctity of the hospital environment.”
The association further said it would not provide medical services to EFCC officials or their relatives until its demands are addressed.
