Reflections # - It happened to some of us too. Tough times dont last; tough people do! •A must read true life story. Bayo Adeyinkas Blog wrote Inspiring: He Rode Okada To Pay His Way Through University, Yet He Ended Up With a First Class Degree THE UNIVERSITY YEARS Yemi got accommodation at the Sultan Bello Hall. It was there he met John Oluwadero, one of his room mates. But he had a problem. After paying tuition and other fees out of the N50,000 he brought to school, he couldnt afford anything else- and that included mattress for his bunk. So he slept on an empty bunk for 7 whole weeks. It was a situation that could have depressed even the strongest of men but not Yemi Adekunle. Not given to a life of luxury before. A little bit of deprivation was not a big deal for him. David Adeoye would later come to his rescue again by giving him a used mattress when he learnt of how his kinsman was sleeping in the hall. Yemi had to make do with the few clothes he brought from home. As long as he was neat, he wasnt in the least bothered about appearances. He borrowed books from the faculty library but was not able to afford his own. He also borrowed from his friends- at times reading overnight so he could maximize the borrowing. But then, something bothered him greatly. After the first semester, how will he pay his way for the second semester? How will he survive the duration of 5 years course of study? His father didnt even know his only son was studying in a University and couldnt be bothered. His mother had returned to Ofiki from Gala to sell pap- after the death of both maternal grandparents who died months to each other. Help seemed to be very far off and there was no hope in the horizon. The dream was about to die before it even took off. His room mates, especially John Oluwadero helped him with some money once in a while but for how long would he continue to live on his room mates? He thought about continuing his stint as a tyre sales boy in between school breaks but it occurred to him that he could not really make do with the daily savings of N100 to N200 as it will not be appreciable by the time school resumes. And then he had an idea! HERE COMES THE COMMERCIAL MOTORCYCLE RIDER It was during the four-month ASUU strike when he was in 200 Level that he decided to take the bull by the horns. He went to Saki and approached Adams Adaralogun who incidentally is a relative and the last child of his maternal grandfather. Adams had a motorcycle and Yemi asked for permission to ride it on a commercial basis. Adams agreed to a daily delivery amount of N400 but he was magnanimous enough to collect only N250 and allow Yemi retain whatever was left. Call that favour but Yemi worked very hard ferrying passengers all around Saki as he knew he had to save enough money before the school resumed. With this, he was able to pay his tuition and other fees. Any little break, he rode Okada in Saki to pay his way. Several times, he had accidents. He showed me 2 major scars on his leg caused by accidents. During SIWES (300L to 400L), he had to stop so he could ride a bike and gather money. In 400 Level, he finally bought his own okada at a price of N60,000. He felt owning one will give him greater latitude and bring in more money. But then he had also assumed responsibility for training his little sister who just got admitted to the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Kwara State. She was a photographers apprentice for years until Yemi convinced her to go to school. Yemi said some friends including John also contributed to the purchase of the motorcycle. He sold his bike during the first semester of 500L to pay his school fees for the final year. He sold it for 45k. DOING ODD JOBS TO SURVIVE Apart from riding a commercial motorcycle in between school breaks, Yemi is also an artist. He draws portraits and makes greeting cards. He leveraged on drawing portraits during his 400L to 500L to pay his fees. He came up with a strategy and drew portraits of some notable people in his faculty. That got him noticed as they commissioned him to make greeting cards and draw portraits for a fee. He also joined GNLD and sold anti-dandruff products to barbing and hairdressing salons around Agbowo, Ojoo and UI. He also taught Physics, Chemistry and Biology at a tutorial centre at Agbowo where he was paid N400 per hour. IVCU Alumni Fellowship, through IVCU his campus fellowship, placed him on support of 3k monthly for a session during his 300L. He hardly had time to rest and his room mates were always complaining about the way he pushed so hard. He knew he had to survive and he was willing to do whatever it took to get educated. For him, failure was never an option. Read the full story here bayoadeyinka/bayoadeyinka/index.php/bloghome/entry/inspiring-he-rode-okada-to-pay-his-way-through-university-yet-he-ended-up-with-a-first-class-degree
Posted on: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 04:10:22 +0000
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