How a Lagos Nwa Boi Became a Finance Officer in the UK

I ne'er imagined that the lad who erstwhile scrubbed cars astatine 4 a.m., hustled for customers astatine Balogun Business Association Tradefair Market, and endured hunger successful a cramped two-room face-me-I-face flat successful Lagos, would 1 time negociate multi-million-pound grants arsenic a Finance Officer successful the United Kingdom.

I was calved and bred successful the slum. 64, Okito Street, Ifelodun Ajegunle. We aboriginal moved to different flimsy upgrade from Ajegunle, Ajangbadi, successful a face-me-I-face-you flat with my parents and 5 siblings. It was a play of survival. Sometimes we had 1 repast a day. Other days, we begged neighbours for atom and thenar lipid to support the assemblage and psyche together.

Despite poverty, my begetter was determined that each his children would astatine slightest decorativeness secondary school. He sacrificed endlessly to wage our fees. But helium besides knew helium could not money everyone done university. He planned that 3 of his sons would participate the Igbo apprenticeship system, known arsenic Nwa Boi. From their savings, they would assistance sponsor our sister and youngest sibling done higher education.

I was the 2nd son, and connected October 5, 2005, astatine property 16, aft penning my past WAEC paper, I began my apprenticeship. My elder member had started a twelvemonth earlier. That night, erstwhile my begetter told maine the decision, I cried. I feared I would ne'er spot my household again due to the fact that Nwa Boi protocol constricted interaction with location to debar suspicion of stealing from one’s master. My life, I knew, was astir to alteration forever.

The Apprenticeship Years

Trade just was its ain universe. Apprentices woke earlier dawn, washed their oga’s cars, and rushed to the marketplace to cleanable shops earlier opening. Hustle defined each day: calling retired to customers, haggling implicit prices, moving errands, collecting debts and closing late.

I was fortunate to person a bully boss. He was strict, but not wicked. But the apprenticeship was inactive harsh. I learned rapidly that you ne'er questioned your oga. Once, I asked him which of his 3 cars helium planned to usage the adjacent time truthful I could lavation lone one. The slap I received taught maine my archetypal lesson: An apprentice indispensable ne'er presume.

Yet, contempt the struggle, I was a bookworm. From childhood, I devoured novels. By property 11, I had finished Tom Clancy’s Red Storm Rising, a 500-page book. By 14, I had work astir each Achebe, Grisham, Sheldon, Ludlum, and more. My begetter brought location aged newspapers from Alaba International Market, and I consumed them enactment by line, analysing section and planetary news. Books showed maine a wider satellite beyond commercialized fair, and that hunger ne'er near me.

A Turning Point

As I worked broadside by broadside with different apprentices, I noticed they were contented with the cycle: Serve their master, get settled with money, unfastened their ain shops, marque profits, physique houses successful Lagos and the village, and repeat. I asked myself, Is this each determination is?

My closest person astatine the commercialized fair, who, similar me, had finished secondary school, decided to leave. He saved money, wrote the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, and gained admittance to survey Mathematics astatine the University of Benin. His departure near maine inspired and bittersweet astatine the aforesaid time. If helium could instrumentality that leap, wherefore not me?

My breaking constituent came successful 2009, 4 years into my apprenticeship. Unknown to my oga, I had been redeeming portion of the tiny commissions I earned helping customers find goods crossed shops. I managed to prevention &...