Embers Of Tradition: Gombe’s Blacksmiths Fight For Survival

In the crowds of Gombe Central Market, wherever vehicles’ horns jab the aerial and traders haggle successful bursts, different dependable cuts through.

Yet, Malam Ibrahim Makeri, 1 of the oldest craftsmen successful the centre cares a small oregon not astatine all. He besides produces further sounds that linger successful the air. They are sounds of metallic against metallic that came from woody makeshifts wherever helium does his blacksmithing.

Sitting beside his forge, Ibrahim fans the occurrence with a accepted leather bellows, a accomplishment passed down for generations. His store is modest: a heap of scrap, a melting pot, and a hammer worn by decades of use. From these tools, helium produces farming hoes, knives, cutlasses and galore things.
This has go his lifeline. Wiping sweat from his forehead, helium said, “I married, sustained my family, and educated my children done blacksmithing.”
For centuries, Gombe’s blacksmiths person been indispensable to farming and home life. Even today, wherever agriculture employs astir of the population, request remains steady. In caller years, they expanded, fabricating modern tools, spare parts, streetlight poles, and adjacent infirmary beds.

But the trade is nether pressure, they said. Rising costs of scrap and charcoal, irregular electricity, and factory-made imports endanger livelihoods, according to Usman Hassan Adamu, the Sarkin Mekera (traditional person of blacksmiths.

“Our products are much durable than imported ones. We adjacent reconstruct modern materials into stronger versions. Industries transcript our designs, but we deficiency superior and instrumentality to compete,” helium told LEADERSHIP.

The Bank of Industry estimates that Nigeria has implicit 12 cardinal artisans who signifier the backbone of grassroots endeavor and taste preservation. Yet, astir enactment informally, without entree to concern oregon training. Reports amusement that implicit 70% of agrarian artisans deficiency method oregon fiscal support, forcing galore to trust connected ageing tools.

Young Men astatine the Forge
Despite these constraints, younger generations are keeping the contented alive. At 28, Mohammed Musa has completed his apprenticeship and present earns betwixt N30,000 and N40,000 monthly. “It is not much, but it is honest. I conception what radical usage daily, and I consciousness okay.”
Another smith, Usman Mohammed (Balale), said the concern has paid off. “I married, built a house, and wage my children’s schoolhouse fees done it. We present conception grinding engines, spares, and adjacent modern equipment. What we request is superior and amended machines.”
The smiths’ stories uncover an ecosystem that extends beyond the forges. Scrap dealers, charcoal sellers, welders, and retailers each beryllium connected the blacksmithing trade, supporting thousands of families.

A Hub of Livelihoods

The Sarkin Mekera estimates that implicit 5,000 blacksmiths, with implicit 2000 youths run successful the centre. Each year, assemblage graduates and schoolhouse leavers articulation the trade erstwhile achromatic collar jobs stay scarce.
“This twelvemonth alone, 5 graduates who conscionable finished NYSC joined us. If the authorities supports america with equipment, we tin bash wonders.”

But helium besides raised concerns astir the dense usage of charcoal, which accelerates deforestation. He urged authorities to supply cleaner alternatives.

Musa Abdulhamid, a 52-year-old trader who began smithing astatine 14, lamented that the trade has stagnated successful Nigeria portion advancing elsewhere. “We person talent, but we deficiency buyers and equipment,” helium said.
Chindo Baba, Chairman of the Makera Progressive Association, listed the wide scope of items they produce. “We conception wheelbarrows, trailer assemblage parts, and bending engines. Our biggest challenges are capital, unchangeable power, and entree to generators.”

Government Response

According to Gombe state’s Commissioner for Trade, Industry and Tourism, Nasiru Mohammed, the authorities has taken steps to easiness their burdens. He cited improved feeder roads, amended security, and speedy interventions during crises, specified arsenic a caller occurrence outbreak that destroyed workshops.
Nasiru Mohammed, Gombe State Commissioner for Trade, Industry and Tourism
He revealed plans to relocate the forge to a safer and modern site, besides highlighted a integer level wherever artisans tin advertise products for N1,000 annually. Through GoCARES, helium said, artisans tin besides entree operational grants and interest-free loans.

Mohammed noted that Gombe has ranked archetypal connected Nigeria’s Ease of Doing Business scale since 2020, crediting Governor Inuwa Yahaya’s policies.

The Gap Between Policy and Practice

For the smiths, specified policies are invited but often dilatory to scope the ground. Most workshops inactive beryllium connected musculus powerfulness erstwhile energy fails, and banks often request precocious collateral earlier releasing loans.

The Sarkin Mekera believes targeted enactment would transfor...