And I met an okada rider...

This was originally meant to be my very first post, over ten months ago. It has been on my computer hard drive for precisely that length of time. At that time I felt I had finally found a cause strong enough to provoke my spirit and gush out the words after months of procrastinating and promising myself to ‘start a blog very soon’. Thankfully, at last, here goes.

The day was Thursday 9th March, 2006. I had an early start – woke up at 6a.m., had a quick prayer session, started cooking breakfast and dinner simultaneously, hurriedly got ready and finally dashed out of the house at 9a.m, by which time I was already 30 minutes late for my 8.30am appointment.

My first port of call for the day was Gbagada, where I was to meet my new-found business partner to do some field work – the field being Iponri Shopping Complex in Surulere. The shopping I thought would take no more than two hours actually took up the whole of the morning and part of the afternoon, so that I had to cancel my 12 noon appointment.

By the time it was 2p.m. we were just about rounding up shopping, and there was still a myriad of chores left unticked on our business to-do list. The next five hours saw us running around to get things done, until around 7.m. when we finally docked ship at our Gbagada starting point. You can imagine how tired and ready for home I was by that time. All I wanted to do was go home, curl up and sleep till the next morning. Ironically, however, the defining points of my day were just about to occur.

As I bade my business partner good night, a mutual acquaintance who was with her asked me a very relevant question: ‘So what are you doing now?’ Now, that question has been directed at me countless times since the beginning of this year, but his next words made all the difference: ‘Looking for a job, or looking for opportunities?’ That set me thinking instantly. He really didn’t listen to the answer I was struggling to put together before he said, ‘I advise you to look for opportunities… think about it.’

Wow! Do you wonder why I consider that brief encounter to be a highlight in my day? It’s simple… I have been pondering on that question myself in the past few weeks. Like the average Nigerian graduate, my first instinct after school was to ‘beg to apply’. And trust me, I didn’t start small at all. Yes, I applied to all the big corporate names in faith that I would soon be called for an interview. One week passed, two, three; one month, two… no call from anywhere. That was when I started getting uncomfortable. And that was when I started thinking. Why must I wait for another human being to dictate the pace of my life, and the direction in which I must head? It’s okay to apply for all the ‘appliables’, but when that doesn’t work, why don’t I step out on my own? You know, do my own thing. Work hard at something I love, regardless of whether I got a degree in it or not. It does not matter if Chevron has no position that requires those skills. In the words of the Okada rider who features in the title of this piece, ‘No matter how much money you earn working for somebody else, you will always be a slave to him.’

Ah ha! The Okada man. The person who is the sole inspiration for this piece. I think this is getting rather lengthy, so I’ll leave you at this point to reflect on crucial point number 1: Are you looking for a job or looking for an opportunity? The question may be more relevant to some put this way: Are you merely working at a job, or seizing opportunities?

Watch out for part two…