JUMOKE
A young Nigerian girl of about 27 years of age from the South Western part of the country, Oshogbo to be precise.
Because of the paucity of her background, she could only stop at the primary level of education, she went and acquired a skill in hair dressing but this is not really economically viable in her environment as almost every lady there can make hair as such when the need arise to make hair, a friend or a relative can help and the other also recipro
cates in return.
This setting doesn’t make hair dressing quite lucrative for Olajumoké.
With two young kids and a husband, she took a drastic bold step that eventually change the course of her life.
She left her hometown for Lagos with the youngest of the kids leaving the older one at the care of her husband in her home town.
She arrived Lagos, took the job of selling bread in a local bread factory. The challenge of accommodation and limited funds at her disposal made her to join other twelve young women that are in the trade to be sleeping in the bakery with her young child.
She sets out as early as 5:00 to 5:30 am for her daily routine of bread business. Her wares are arranged in a circular wooden disc and covered with a transparent nylon bag and is ferried on her head as ‘’Ferry Agege’’ she makes between 300 – N500 as profits on a daily basis which is usually spent on medication for her child, as the environment makes the child constantly ill.
On one of these days, without any form of premonition or unusual anticipation other than to make her normal sales, fortune and providence smiled on her, she unknowingly photobombed a street photo session of a UK Pop music star ( Tinie Tempah) by a Nationally acclaimed Photographer, TY Bello.
When Jumoké got to the scene of the event, she was indecisive not knowing whether to stay behind and allow them to finish their photoshoot or to just walk passed and continue her journey. So TY noticed her and asked her if it’s ok to take her photograph and she responded in the affirmative, with her wares on her head, she was included in the photo session During the review, she was noticed in the background and it was thought to be innocuous since it’s a street photograph. The picture was used as a cover for the monthly issue of a magazine, then somebody from an International Modelling company mistook her for a model and demands that the he get in touch with her. ‘I just like the way that she balances that load on her head without holding it. It’s only a very good model that can do that’.
And so, the search for jumoké begins, of course, when they got to the street where the photograph was taken, it wasn’t difficult anymore because she’s very much known there.
She was given a modelling contract in Lagos, a big construction company that is into real estate also gave her a house, and she also has been offered admission to study Proficiency in English Grammar and Communication, and One-on-One Total Personality Development at Poise Graduate Finishing Academy.
Well, since then, she’s been making the rounds in the news both in foreign and local media including Cable Network News (CNN). Her husband has also relocated to Lagos to join her and it has also been rumoured that ‘’Mama Eliza’’ the Queen has also invited her to Buckingham Palace.
She’s been signed on as a Brand Ambassador of an E-Commerce company and also that of a commercial, the bank offered to foot the educational bills of her two kids, aged between one and five, up to University level.
Her story is something that every Nigerian can connect with because right now things are really tough and we can only dream and expect providence to make it happen for us.
Lobátán, levels don change
Whatever it is that you are doing, don’t give up on life, with diligence, just continue in your line of duty. The case of Jumoké could be your story.
When preparation meets opportunity, it is called LUCK.
May God of Jumoké locate you.
@oluwadinne
@ostheblog
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