After Silifatu Adefila concluded her weekend chores at 11 a.m. on February 26, she dashed to Oja Oba, a market newly created by the Olusin of Ijara-Isin, the traditional ruler of her small town in the southern part of Kwara State, North-central Nigeria.
Mrs Adefila’s mission was not to buy or sell at the market but to get vouchers usually shared by the king at the market every Saturday.
“Kabiyesi will soon be at the market to distribute money,” Ms Adefila said in Igbomina, a Yoruba dialect spoken in parts of Kwara South Senatorial District and Osun State, as she hastily tied her head wrapper, gesturing to the reporter to conclude the questions.
If she gets one, the voucher can buy enough foodstuff for her family for a week.
“You cannot keep or convert the money but use it to buy food and other items at Oja-Oba. Most shops in the village also accept it,” she added as she shut the door to her house.
The traditional ruler, Ademola Ajibola, introduced the TLK voucher in August 2021 as a means of exchange within Ijara-Isin.
Some economic experts commended the initiative as a palliative for the economic hardship in Nigeria but others are sceptical about the scheme.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), over 91 million persons live in absolute poverty in Nigeria, fueled by a 20 per cent inflation in food prices.
A new king trying to revive a rural economy
Located in Isin Local Government Area in Kwara South Senatorial…
