This is the sales pitch of one of the most brilliant youngsters I have come across on TikTok. I came across him quite randomly because the TikTok Algorithm took me to his page. I was fascinated by approach he adopted.
He calls himself “Sarkin Banana”. His real name is Khalil. Quite simply, he is a banana vendor. His location was the Kano bypass as you head towards Zaria and beyond. He was close to the Na’ibawa Fruit Market from where he gets his supplies.
Rather than running standard sales pitches, he treats banana vending as performance art. He uses high-energy calls, comedic Hausa banter, rhythmic street hawking chants, and humorous interactions with customers to market his fruit. And always with a big beautiful smile on his face.
He uses the Sarkin Mota template, initiated by a luxury car dealer in Abuja who also always starts his pitch with “My brother”. It was not just a young kid selling bananas.
It was a young entrepreneur using an innovative template to draw attention to his trade. And he is doing it effectively. What was really fascinating about him was his sheer enthusiasm and joy in doing what he was doing.
His videos typically feature him showcasing fresh bunches of bananas, engaging in playful dialogue with buyers, or posting short skits centered around market life, hustle culture, and everyday customer interactions. He sells bananas on the street while acting like a high-end car dealer, showing off the “fresh interior technology” and “smooth ride” of his bananas.
His popularity on TikTok acts as direct-to-consumer marketing, leveraging viral short-form video content to drive real-world foot traffic and customer loyalty to his fruit stand. He even employs a younger youth to hold a big umbrella over their head as he moves from one car to another—strategically positioning himself close to a road ramp which slows down motorists.
And his TikTok performance was working. He was gaining attention. Even the “real” Sarkin Mota namechecked him—and you need to see the sheer joy in Khalil’s face when he saw how Sarkin Mota acknowledged him. He had over 713,000 likes and 27,600 followers. I am one of them. Even if he does not make a lot of money from the sales of his bananas he, get a little of cash from his video. I have seen videos of patrons asking im to take banana for them home. So, he does home delivery.
Other young people from Kano engage in absolutely disgusting content creation to attract audiences—dunking themselves in cesspools, covering themselves with coal dust, being sexually obscene, etc. Khalil Sarkin Banana is an example of how young people could turn their social media skills into an effective, productive and positive means of earning a legitimate living.
I have never met Khalil Sarkin Banana. But I can tell you, anytime I do happen to meet him, I am buying a whole bunch because, as he pitches, “Better banana na Sarkin banana sell am.”