Nigerian Lawyer Narrates Touching Story About Growing Up, Sends Crucial Message to Youths
Editor's note: Though born with a silver spoon, a Nigerian lawyer, Wale Omolegbon Odusola, was unable to utilise his privileged status to achieve his dreams.
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In this piece shared on his Facebook page, the respected lawyer narrated how he went through difficulties to make meaning of his life.
His story
Honestly, I am supposed to be very rich because right from my days as a young boy, I have always been an enterprising person.
My father was a lawyer, a very successful and rich lawyer. I was still in primary five (5) when I started having the urge to make money independent of my father's wealth. So, I decided to follow one of my friends to the farmland to do labourer job and get paid. We will help people to clear d weeds in their cassava farmland and remember that I went two times before my father caught me.
Someone told my father about it and he laid an ambush for me and caught me. Don't ask me what happened when my father caught me. Hmmmm I saw Hell. You know my father was a retired headmaster before he proceeded to study law. You know how good olden days teachers were with cane. You can guess what I went through from that angle. My mother assisted me in the cry that day because I couldn't cry the cry alone on that day. Smiling.
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Source: Facebook
So, I stopped, but I wasn't happy that I wasn't making money again. I have always been a guy who does not like staying idle. That is the reason why it always baffled me seeing our youths of today wondering about happily doing nothing and feeling comfortable with such lifestyle.
Immediately I finished secondary school, I searched for job and I got one. I didn't tell my father about the job because the job is a little demeaning and so I know he won't accept such job for me. Meanwhile, my father was already down with stroke at that time, so he was no longer working. I decided to take up the job because I knew I needed money more than before, since my father was no longer working.
Guess the kind of job I got. It was a job at Oluwa Glass Factory in d Podium Dept. The podium is the place where they produce the Glass and it is the hottest part of the factory. They told us that the heat of that place is capable of destroying our ability to father a child and so they were given us 30tins of liquid milk every month end. Thank God I still gave birth to twins.
My colleagues at the podium almost discouraged me from doing d work because they were always making jest of me calling me "omo butter". They continue to wonder what the hell I was doing there despite my father's wealth. All I know was that I have passion for work and making money.
After I left the Oluwa Glass due to a fatal glass cut I received on my neck when a glass fell on my head, I decided to look for another job because nothing could quench my passion for work and self dependence. This time, I got a job to work in a barbing saloon. In fact, I received a lot of criticisms from my friends for choosing such job. But I never minded them because all that I cared for then was that I don't want to stay idle and I wanted to make money.
After sometimes I left the employment and I started my own barbing saloon at Igbokoda. My saloon was the first modern barbing saloon at that time at Igbokoda, so, I could not cope with the volume of people coming to my saloon for haircut. So, I became an employer of labor as I employed four (4) workers to work for me. I made a lot of money to the extent that I started thinking of buying a car. I remember telling my mom that I wanted to buy a car and she said I should not do so. She reminded me of the promise that I made to her that I will still become a lawyer. She told me that d car will distract me. A good mother she is. I took her advice and I stopped thinking of buying d car. I was just 22yrs old at that time.
After operating the saloon for 6yrs and having made enough money, I decided to proceed to school as a self sponsored student. So, I first went to Kwara Poly where a studied Legal Studies and obtained OND in Legal Studies. Kindly note that at that time I have lost my father. So, I was 100 percent self sponsored student. because my mom too wasn't working due to a fatal motor accident she had which handicapped her. Hmm I am really a child of destiny.
After my OND, I proceeded to University of Ilorin as a direct entry student, so I started from 200Level. At those period my saloon business was moving on and it was the proceeds from it that I was using to sponsor myself through polytechnic and to certain level in the university.
Something happened along the line. I discovered that my saloon business was not functioning well because my workers were no longer since with me while I was in school. so, I decided to partner with a guy thinking that as a partnership business, my partner will be able to monitor the business. But it was a miscalculation on my part. My partner betrayed me because people were telling him that I was using him to make money to complete my education while he will remain an illiterate. So, my partner started behaving worst than my workers.
I wasn't feeling secured again, so I started thinking of quitting d business for him. So, I called him and sold my share of d business to him and he gladly accepted my offer.
After selling my shares, things become a little hard for me. I decided to join politics and as a member of AD. So, do long that joined AD, my leaders saw my commitment bcos one thing about me is that I am always passionately committed to anything I do. My leaders decided to give me a contract together with some others as a group and we made up to 2million naira from the contract. I personally went to the riverine to supervise the job and I personally painted the building and collected my workman money as d painter. That was an addition to my share from the contract. I have d idea of painting because in my hustling days, I was following a painter friend to paint houses. That my painter friend is today also a lawyer and pastor. I don't want to mention the houses I joined in painting in Okitipupa and Igbokoda.
I saved the money I made from the contract and it pushed my education very far. I lived like a big man in the university from my 300level to 500level before d contact money finished.
Tell me why I should not be a rich guy with my undying passion for work.
Today, my passion for work and dedication is helping me a lot in my legal profession. You can hardly see me parties or ceremonies. It is not because I don't like attending occasions, it is just because my passion reading and doing legal research have taken over my entire life. I am always committed to anything I am doing and right now my Legal profession is my passion and my love.
Saying that you didn't go to school because I have no one to sponsor u can't be an excuse in my own dictionary because I went through that path.
Clampdown in Enugu as EFCC arrests 30 Yahoo boys, laptops, cars, other items recovered
In another report, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced the arrest of 30 people suspected to be internet fraudsters popularly known as "Yahoo Yahoo."
Nigerian anti-graft agency said the suspected fraudsters were nabbed in Enugu state by men of its zonal office.
The alleged fraudsters will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.
Source: Legit.ng
