Frog Business Now Thrives In Kaduna

As unemployment hits the north, youths in the region have discovered a new booming business that would enable them cater for their needs,Daily Independent can report.

Due to the inherent fortunes in the business,many youths in the state have now bury their hearts into the business and neglect non existing white collar jobs.

Our correspondent observed that more than 20 species of edible frogs are eaten around the world.

One large frog leg, fried, has about 70 calories, 4.3 grams of protein, 4.8 grams of fat, 4.6 milligrams of calcium, 38.4 milligrams of phosphorus, 2 grams of carbohydrate and no sodium. There are also some huge volume of iron and B vitamins.

According to experts,other health benefits of eating frog include curing the wound of heart defects.

Apart from its edible benefits, the internal organs of frogs are also used for traditional medicine.

The boom in frog meats market in Northern Nigeria has encouraged large number of Kaduna youths to seriously embark on catching frogs and other aquatics animals for sales, so as to reduce poverty.

The youths, popularly known as “The Frog Grabbers are increasing in droves in Kaduna and helping change the economic landscape of the state.

Felix Peter, one of the youth leaders of Unguwan Gwari community in Kaduna North, Northwest Nigeria, is the team leader of kaduna youths that started going to rivers and ponds with the sole purpose of catching frogs and other aquatics for the last 3 years.

He told Independent during a visit to his place of selling frogs, that:“It was the lack of job that made me venture into this business and I enjoyed it because, there is big market for it all over the 19 northern states, including Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria.I was a mechanic before I abandoned the business and join this one.

“It was difficult for me to start the business in the beginning but now, I am very good in the business because everyday, I usually go to the pond and grab some frogs which I used to bring home and preserve them for sell.After catching them from various places, we dissect and roast them, and then we package them inside the carton and we put some in some bags for sale to our marketers that usually comes from various states”.

“Our buyers told us that frog meat is delicious and that is why they like eating it always in the soup.We sell each frog at the price of one hundred naira and three for two hundred naira”.

He further gave account of how the initial road of the business was rough before he later mastered it.

He said:”I had to commence the business and it is making me happy because through the business I am taking care of all my children’s school fees and feeding all members of my family .Every day, I make a maximum of 5,000 naira and that is what makes me happy”.

“I am paying my children school fees and this also help me take care of all my needs through catching frogs and sales”.

He expressed dissatisfaction over how insecurity is affecting the business and appealed to the state government to redouble its efforts in securing the lives of those engaged in the business.

Abubakar Shelang,another young frog businessman,told Independent that he was doing other businesses earlier but had to abandon them for the latter because of its lucrative nature .

“I was a brick layer and I repair bread mixing machine, but the business is not moving.That is why I left it and join this one.We take our roasted frogs meat to many places across the entire North because the demand for frog meat is high and we are making money every day through it.Everyday I go to frog catching, I make good money and that takes care of all my needs”