By Naza Okoli
It seems new – the Nigeria that has emerged
after the story of Olajumoke. The story of a simple bread seller who became a
super-model, overnight, after photo-bombing a photo session by the singer, TY
Bello, is one that cannot be forgotten in a long time. And in Lagos, the city
where it all played out, the excitement has continued to grow ever since.
One of the earliest topics discussed among
Lagos residents following Olajumoke’s rise to fame concerned bread sellers’
“new manner of dressing”. But has there really been any change?
“I think there has been a change,” Onyinye
Osuchukwu who works as a copywriter in Yaba told Saturday Tribune last week.
“They generally wear neater and more colourful clothes now.”
It may be difficult to agree or deny that
there has been any real improvement, especially since not many people had any
reasons to take any special note of the way bread hawkers dressed before
Olajumoke.
Nevertheless, many pictures have been
uploaded on the internet by fun-lovers to create the impression that there has
been a revolution in the way bread sellers dress today. One of such pictures
shows a man dressed like a woman, standing in front of a house (purportedly
owned by TY Bello) while making a phone call, a heavy load of bread on his
head.
“Hello, Aunty TY BELLO,” his words were
shown on the picture. “I am in front of your house waiting for you. I just want
you to know that I am now a bread seller.”
“It
brings hope”
Mr
Soji Adegbite, a Lagos-based civil engineer, told Saturday Tribune that he
attended the same secondary school as Olajumoke’s husband, Mr Sunday Orisaguna.
“Sunday and I attended Baptist High School,
Iree,” Adegbite said. “We were of the 1996/1997 set. I left the school when I
was in JSS 3 because I lost my father. We lived in the same area. We last spoke
in 2014. I didn’t know he got married, until we heard about his famous wife.
“I think her story brings hope. When there
is life, there is hope. It also tells us of the importance of being at the
right place at the right time.”
Adegbite also said he had discovered an
improvement in the way bread hawkers dress. “Not just bread sellers, but other
sellers,” he said. “In addition, those bread sellers now pack their bread the
way Olajumoke did in that picture – well arranged, with the butter in the
middle.”
“Life is a struggle”
Mr Joshua Omidire who recently completed a
Master’s Degree in Literature at the University of Lagos told Saturday Tribune
on Thursday that Olajumoke’s story is also one of struggle and determination.
“The Olajumoke story has a touch of
aberrancy in its plot,” he said. “While many Nigerians covet her break out of
the pod of poverty, not many of us have the patience of living in her kind of exact
squalor. We cannot sit back and disturb the divine to turn our tides like that
of Olajumoke; we must, like her, get the spirit of dignity in labour and do
whatever good thing we know how to do best with all sincerity and humility. The
reality, however, is that life is no longer that kind of fairy tale. Life is a
struggle. Success is our dream.”
It is in the Bible
To many observers, the suggestion that
bread hawkers are changing their way of dressing would seem absurd, especially
since good fortune is not the preserve of bread sellers. However, Mr Soji
Adegbite feels there is something special about bread – something divine.
“I believe bread is special,” he said.
“There is a spiritual foundation to the story, and that is because of the bread
in it. In the Bible, a boy gave Jesus a loaf of bread and two fishes. Jesus
himself is the Bread of Life. It means there is power in bread. There is power
in what Olajumoke carried.”
Olajumoke vs Ayodele
The latest twist to the Olajumoke saga
emerged recently following the record-breaking story of Mr Ayodele Dada who
became the first graduate to make 5.00 CGPA from the 54-year-old University of
Lagos. Whereas Olajumoke’s rewards include a tastefully-furnished apartment and
several contracts with corporate organisations, Dada is yet to land any such
deals.
“Initially, it felt great that she was
lifted out of obscurity, but then the whole endorsement from all firms?” said
Sonia Nzekwe, a 300-level student at the University of Lagos. “There is no
moral for me in that story. There are a thousand and one Olajumokes who speak
well, write well and earn nothing. They practically don’t have a life but no
one is willing to go the extra mile to discover them. So because one person has
been discovered, should we now want her on every billboard and turn her name to
a prayer point?
“How many Nigerians know the name of the
second person in Africa to finish university with 5.00 CGPA? CNN hasn’t invited
Ayodele Dada for an interview, yet Olajumoke has got that interview. It says a
lot about the kind of values we promote in the world, not just Nigeria.”
However, when Saturday Tribune contacted
Dada last week, the graduate of Psychology described the comparison as unfair
and unnecessary.
“I was one of those who were really happy
when they heard of her story,” he said. “I was happy because there are too many
people in this country who don’t get a shot at a measure of success; and now
that God has given her a chance, it is something we should celebrate. We have
to realise that the currency of hope never expires. It is always something that
will be inspirational. And that is why it was newsworthy, because everyone
wants to believe that there is something better on the horizon. So if she is
able to get a chance, I think it is remarkable, and I don’t think there is any
need for us to pull her down. I was not too pleased that it was taken that way.
I don’t think it is fair because she never knew she was going to get this far,
and then suddenly grace or luck took her to such a great height. I was happy.
“It is a remarkable story. Things like that
happen in this world, and that’s not to say that I don’t believe in rewarding
achievement, but we all have our individual stories. Who knows what her
opportunities were? She may never have had a chance to do anything differently.
And if she didn’t have such a chance, does it mean she should never get a shot
at greatness. Every individual in this world should have a chance, and if we
can provide such an opportunity, let’s give it to them. I believe in this so
much that throughout my time in school I gave free tutorial to many people at a
go. They would just call me and say they needed help and I would be there; I
could tutor them for four hours or more at a stretch. For me, that is the index
of how successful we are – how well we can help other people. So I really
applaud the efforts of TY Bello in bringing this girl out, so that the world
can see that she has something; because we all have something.”
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