Photo credit: Akintunde Akinleye.

Scores of citizens of the neighbouring Republic of Benin, mainly artisans in Nigeria’s erstwhile booming construction industry, popularly called ‘Cotonou Artisans’ in local parlance, who thronged the country, especially Lagos and Ogun States for greener pastures about 20 years ago are currently leaving the country in droves, according to investigation.

This is primarily due to Nigeria’s worsening economic condition occasioned by the massive devaluation of the naira and high cost of Premium Motor Spirit PMS, which followed the removal of subsidy on petroleum products, with the attendant galloping inflation, among other factors.

These artisans, who work mainly in the real estate industry include masons, carpenters, plumbers, tilers and painters, among several others.

Our Correspondent gathered that between January and September alone, scores of the artisans have left the country, as expectations that Nigeria’s economy would show signs of recovery have proved abortive.

One of the artisans, a mason, who identified himself as Michael, told our Correspondent that apart from the increased price of cement and other major building materials, which brought about scarcity of jobs, it is no longer profitable working in Nigeria, especially due to the low value of the currency, the naira, which is now far below in value when compared to the Benin currency, the CFA franc.

“I came to Nigeria sometime in 2004, as an apprentice. Even as an apprentice then, when I travel home with N5, 000, it was very big money, it could buy a lot of things but it is no longer the situation now because our currency is far higher than the naira in value.

“For instance, recently I travelled home and the motorbike that would take me across charged me about 2, 000 CFA franc and when we did the conversion, it was N5, 040. Before now, I have up to nine boys working with me, now I have only three, the rest have gone back to our country because when they take Nigeria’s naira back home, it buys very little. This is also the case with other masters, whose boys have returned back home.

“So many of our boys, who did not return to Cotonou went to other African countries. I know a former colleague, who served the same master with me and we got our freedom together, he has since last year moved to Congo and since then, he has taken many boys from here because they believe it is better there.

“I am still in Nigeria for now, because still have some jobs, but I have asked the owners of the jobs that they need to upscale the value of the jobs, some have agreed while some have not but in the end, I may be forced to abandon any job, which the owner refuses to increase the contract sum due to the current poor value of the naira. Few years back, we used to pay N3, 500 and N2,00 per day to a bricklayer and labourer respectively but now, bricklayers insist on collecting N7, 000 per day while the labourer insists on N5, 000 per day because the money cannot buy as much things as it used to”, he lamented

Meanwhile, a Lagos-based Real Estate Developer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, admitted that many of the artisans of the Republic of Benin and Togo origin, who work for him have really left the country back to their countries, which he described as a bad omen for the building industry in Nigeria.

“One significant fact you cannot ignore is that these Cotonou artisans comprising masons, carpenters, tilers etc., as little as some of them may look, they are more thorough and professional than their Nigerian counterparts. Many of them can read, interpret and apply the building plans, which many of our Nigerian counterparts cannot.

“So, many of them can work with minimum supervision and you achieve good results. They are even cheaper in terms of pricing and so it will be a big blow for the building industry in Nigeria if all of them leave the country, we will rely only on our Nigerian artisans, many of who are very expensive and yet not thorough and professional”, he said.