I’ve been extremely busy in the last 2 weeks, we had 2 training sessions for one of our multinational clients back to back. That was Friday to Saturday and Thursday to Sunday, it was excitingly tiresome as we had to prepare for both sessions, manage both sessions and also share in their fun. I’ve been very sparsely online as well, but I’m back now, and watch this space…lol.
About Extreme Makeovers, I had gotten mails from a few well meaning people, asking wassup. Well, what we decided to do was get an independent journalist – The Managing Editor of Inspire Magazine, Kayode Odeleye to interview the top 3 candidates so we can have a closer look at their lives and see who we would be willing to help. Please read the three interviews, have a look at some of the pictures, and let’s together decide who the first beneficiary of Extreme Makeover Nigeria will be. Their stories are arranged in the order in which they were nominated in the first round.
Pictures for the first two can be found here
Story 2 (Mayor)
Background
Baderinwa Ademuyiwa Olanrewaju was born on Jan 16, 1979 into a family of 14. His mother, the second of three wives was not legally married to his dad. In his words, “I have 5 elder sisters and there was some trouble when I was born because my step mother didn’t want me to live as she did not have any son. My father was in six different cults and he wanted me at all costs. My grandmother took me and took care of me because of the problems.”
“My mother had another son for my father but my dad left and my mother had to shoulder the responsibility of taking care of the two of us, unfortunately my grandmother died and there was no one to assist her.”
“I went to primary school from 86 to 91 and secondary school from 91 to 97 with the intention of proceeding to university to study to be an engineer but there was no one to assist so I couldn’t go on. While in secondary school (JSS 3), I used to help an uncle who was into laundry and dry-cleaning and with time I started having my own customers aside my uncle’s. Before leaving secondary school, my mother gave birth to five more children for two other men making seven of us.
Current Situation
“I finally got admission into Unilorin in 2004 but realised I couldn’t cope as there would be no body to take care of my family in Lagos, so I had to come back here. I wrote the JAMB that year and scored 246 but I was not chosen. Things became very rough so I went back to offering laundry services, the major problem was that I didn’t have an office and my clients demanded an office where they could visit at any time and see their property secure. I started by going out to people’s houses to wash and iron since they didn’t want to patronise me because I did not have an office. But I had to stop because of the insults I kept on receiving. When I stopped going to homes, I started out by using my room as an office and going to offices to tell them about what I do. It was in the process I met Adeolu Akinyemi and my life changed in the process. Based on his advice, I decided that nothing could stop me and I was going to start fully. My family members gave me one of the shops in the family house where I stay but it requires a lot of money to put it in order.” His business is running and I saw his receipt booklets, fliers and 2 banners which he uses to create awareness.
Next Level
The next level for Lanre’s business is to renovate and expand the small shop which he was given by his family members. The shop is attached to the family house where he resides.
Financial Implications
“I need between 100 and 120 thousand to get things going but I have about ten thousand naira now.” I asked him for a breakdown of what he intends the sum on and here’s the breakdown.
Extension:40,000
Roof:20,000
Convenient Table:6,500
Industrial Iron:8,000
Wet Cloth Rack:5,000
Drums: 2,000
Brushes:1,000
Chemicals:8,000
Signboard:27,500
Fan:3,500
Nylon:1,000
Wall Hanger:7,000
Total:129,500
Story 1
Ogechi Agba
Ogechi is a Twenty-one year old first born in a family of six children who lost his dad sometime in 2003. He finished his SSCE in 2002 and since then has been looking for a means to further his education, he intends to study electrical engineering but has been having problems with finance. He plans to study part-time since his family depends on him and he can not leave them to go to school. He hopes to go to Yabatech since the school is good in engineering and offers part time courses.
Current Situation
“Right now, I am into sale of recharge cards and makes phone cards which I do to sustain and feed my family, pay my siblings’ school fees, house rent and any other thing that needs to be done. Recently, my immediate younger sister just got admission and I’ve been trying to sort her out.
I got admission into OSU sometime ago but did not have the N50,000 required for the school fees and I also thought of what I would be able to do to continue sustaining my family. My mother was never allowed to do anything while my dad was alive though she always wanted to trade as she only has a primary school certificate. She became very frail after my dad died in 2003 and though she wanted to work, it wasn’t quite possible as nobody really wants to employ her for the first time at her age. Right now, she takes care of babies for a family and gets 3500 per month. I will try to raise something for her so she will be able to start a small business but she manages with what she gets now while I take care of every other thing that needs to be done,” he says.
He is thinking of buying forms for Yabatech but has cash problems especially since he spent most of his capital that he uses to buy cards and even borrowed more from people to pay for his sister’s remedial programme. “I’ve paid back some of the debts but still owe about N20,000 which i used to pay for the house rent which came due about the time his sister was to go to school.”
Next Level for the business
The main problem for now is that he has eaten deeply into his capital and so does not even have cards to sell to his customers. His immediate need is to raise the quantity of cards he sells so his revenue can increase because of increased financial burden as he has to take care of his sister’s needs while in school.
He also hopes to expand his business by developing the idea he started about 3 years ago, which involves telling some of his friends that he sells credit so they can call him at any time and he will text airtime PIN to them.
Financial Implications
He says he will need about 200 thousand naira to increase the quantity of cards he sells. “If I have 100 thousand naira worth of cards, I am sure I will be able to attend to my customers around and then will be able to go into wholesale, get a system and printer also so that I can start printing the smaller value recharge cards. I bought some shares a while ago and attended a couple of seminars on stock trading; I will also want to open a CSCS account and trade in stocks.”
Breakdown
I asked him what he would do if he got about a hundred thousand and this is how he allocated it:
Cards: 50,000
Yabatech admission process: 10,000
Food stuff at home: 10,000
Open his CSCS account and trade shares: 40,000
Total: N110,000
Story 5 (Groundnut seller)
Background
Problems started for Mrs Anne Anyiam and her husband in August 1989 when he was laid off at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) where he used to work. The financial difficulties that ensued compounded his sight as he could no longer afford to buy drugs for an eye condition diagnosed as glaucoma which he had been suffering from since the age of fifteen. His site rapidly grew worse till he became blind in both eyes in 1991. Mrs Anyiam used to cook at a construction company in Ikeja but had to stop two years ago.
Current Situation
She sells fruits and groundnuts at a small stall by the roadside in Oregun Ikeja and the proceeds from this she uses in taking care of her husband and six children. Their first child was born in 1989, the year her husband was laid off while the last was born three years ago. The children are all schooling except the last that has not started. They also rely on friends, church members and well wishers for the funding of their children’s education and the other needs of the family.
Next Level
Mrs. Anyiam would like to get a proper shop where she can continue her trading as well as expand if possible. She would like to go back to her cooking and open a restaurant as she says “If cooking moves.” She is sure her fruits ‘moves well’ and would like to have enough capital to buy more.
Financial Implication
She estimates she will need between four hundred and five hundred thousand to really set out and the basic needs as follows:
Shop: Minimother is N168,000 (N4,500 per month, pay for two years and then N30,000 each for agreement and agency fees)
Fruits: N3,500 (stock for a day)
Pots: N25,000
Plates & Cutlery: N10,000
Tables: N4,000
Plastic Chairs: 12,000 (10 @ N1,000 each)
Foodstuff: (10,000)
You can get history about this http://deoluakinyemi.com/2007/06/10/extreme-makeover-mini-edition/ , http://deoluakinyemi.com/2007/07/25/extreme-makeover-season1-results/
Let’s vote quickly so we can get on with this, already we have about 3 families who are willing to pick up the bills, but we can be a part of this too.
I dont know the genesis of extreme makeover. But I dont believe giving money to people will solve their poverty problem. there are basic ingredients that guarantees freedom from poverty which I know you know of. i suggest these people should be educated on this basic ingredients before financial help is extended to them. Likewise basic things such as rent, school fees that can eat into their capital should be taken care of for at least a period of year. If possible the money should be given to them inform of loan so that they will be helped with accountability. it is not all that are choleric that are goal driven who can go it alone, sanguines basically thrive on motivation and partnership. all these will guarantee their eventual freedom.
http://www.highdayinternational.com
@ Oderinlo,
If you want understand the genesis of extreme makeover, please check this article that I wrote some months back.. http://deoluakinyemi.com/2007/06/10/extreme-makeover-mini-edition/
I wrote two other articles after this initiating the process.
I agree with you that it helps better to help them with fishing, not with fishes. In that wise, we’ll be making sure that they are accountable to some of our volounteers that we will designate to this assignment.
I believe the reason some of us have is so that we can develop creative ways to make sure it goes into the hands of those that can multiply it to live their dreams.
Though i agree with the views that these people should be taught to be financially independent, we should never forget that everyday certain people find themselves in situations that are beyond their immediate control.
Also from the stories/interviews of these people it is impressive that they have a history of hard work and conscious efforts to attaining financial independence (no matter how little the results seem).
i strongly believe that this gesture should be brought home to us as individuals, as we live our daily lives we should identify such people in our environment and help someone live his/her dream. i have personal testimonies to this effect, and it has been awesome. You know, you see these individuals grow and it is you growing, because you have affected a life.
This mind set should be in us at all times that “we are nothing if we see the nothingness in another and ignore it”.
i think the idea of making this a loan is worth considering, it could be long term. For me what i usually do is to make the beneficiary accountable by making the financial assistance a long term loan with no interests.
All said, i think Extreme Makeover is a ‘wao’ idea.
My vote goes to the laundry guy, Baderinwa Ademuyiwa Olanrewaju.
please how can one be a part of this?
Good job!
I think you should use a voting button here, adding each persons name, that way people just click
with no oligation to write long stories.
I have something similar to implement in Nigeria with help from missionaries that will teach core skills sets, management and Leadership, its going to be huge! oops!am giving away too much; no matter, I think we will never have enough of these programmes as long as the needy is amongst us.
I vote for the the Laundry man, its not an easy job at all, actually its one of the chores I HATE doing! so biggup the guy with the Irons.
mee
It’s a great thing Extreme Makeover is finally yielding positive results,its lovely and i am glad its doing well…D…How is angel networks too…
Going through the response of everybody,i think there contribution as been splendid. I think takes alot to go through what this people are going tru, and i am saying this not because i get to see alot of people in their positions everyday, but because i have thesame experience and i can tell you more about it than you can imagine. i am not saying this to justify such situation, everyone deserve a better life, and i believe this people deserve to lead a normal richer and healthier life, although they dont have a cent to bless but i believe their hearts are rich and filled.
I strongly believe in Extreme makeover, although i might not have the cash to spare but will be glad to help anyday anytime, but i want to drop a line or two that i believe will make things work better. I believe that every of this participants deserves the support they need so i will suggest that the voting will not be used to eliminate, rather it should be used in determining who gets the chance first,i mean who get the financial assistance first. They all deserve a better life. Also i will like to support the idea of giving the financial assistance in form of a long term, interest free loan rather than making it a gift, that will help them work towards a definite goal, and give them the chance to be accountable to the best of their ability…We all know that it takes a special mind to have it free and still keep it burning. We all know from what we’ve heard about them that they have determination and desire to do the extra, but keeping a tab on them will only make them stronger.
As for my vote, i will give it to the Guy that does Drycleaning, i believe he needs it more than anybody else, and it shouldn’t be just money that can be given to him, the Iron, hangers, Table and stuffs like that can be bought and presented to him to assist rather than give him all the money..Then the Next person should be Ogechi the call center guy, He’s sacrificing alot, and i believe he deserves to be more comfortable…The only difference between us is our mind-set, I also tug it out under an Umbrella like him, I have a lil sis in UI, My dad retired well over 14years ago and he only worked with Cadbury, so no pension…My mum is just a petty trader and i can go on and on and on….I got off the Track along the way, but i got back my groove,I burnt the bridges behind me and I developed the right mind i have always had, met the great Deolu, although i am not living any beter than before i met him, but i got better considering who i am and the things i do…
Although I know i deserve more than what i have now, but i am not waiting for anyone to give it to me…i am going all out to get it…becos i know that life will always give me just what i demand from it.
@Deolu
‘A friend in need is a friend indeed‘ – keep it up brother.
Meanwhile, with respect to the above, I will give a greater percentage of my votes to the Laundry guy – even though he maybe starting small now….keeping a tap on his progress and given the right tools for development and managerial success, he is bound to be A Success – becoming a brand in his own niche market/clientelle.
I want to add that a higher dimension to Extreme Makeover would be to make it a reality show in Nigeria….a first of its kind(on the long term) such that people in this kind of situation or having a challenge in birthing their dreams would come forward and showcase their innate talents to the ‘world’. This way we can reach a greater audience and I am sure there are lots of kind-hearted mentors/givers around who can take up the challenge of helping these ones to ‘fish’.
I will also say that the remaining two do deserve to be given a chance, so we can have a cascade system of voting whereby the person with the highest entry gets the first slot of attention and followed in sequence by the next.
One thing am sure of is that, this initiative would serve as mechanism/model for adoption in the New Nigeria Project.
thanks for helping me out with what this is all about. you shall know the truth and the truth shall make u free. this is freedom for this nation. i am happy to be part of this. you are encouraging me to stop thinking. I support the view that we should help all of them in turn, the vote should just the determine the first to help. my earlier observation is born out of my passion to see people grow that was why i started highday International. I am also planning to start also a fellowship for the jobless. what is happening at this blog is just a catalyst to help get me committed to my purpose in life. 1 samuel 16:18 opened my eyes to the way out of all human endeavours. I use to have a conviction I learnt from a friend that we have a kind God that if we will need money to survive on planet earth we would have brought some from heaven down to earth. solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge he got wealth. so that is my position. senate president i believe you can organise a week or so training for them about money management, or we should donate books plus money to them. so they would have finally be lifted off poverty. My first vote goes to the laundry guy, second to restaurant woman they are very stable business they can make faster progress with little amount. but card business will bring better gain with lot of money cause it comes with very little profit. so the guy needs high volume sales to make good money.
I will contribute whatever I have,to make life good for them. i am part of this project totally and wholly, help me oh God. I wish I had known you when you were in school and started the wealth cult, i was then busy drinking beer ni abe igi in university of ilorin. in my family we are all brilliant but I have discovered life is not about brilliance. I have seen guys that when I used to be the no 1 in my high school class then were far behind doing what I am still dreaming about doing now, possess things I will like to have, so you can see my concern for the people you talk about. I have felt hunger, so I know what they are going through.
Deolu,
Since this is about votes, can we just have a button to select the favoured candidate without windy stories?
We need action here, let leave out the stories. If the button existed, i wld click the laundry button.
I vote the laundry guy.
Great job Deolu!!! Keep moving on.
my vote goes to the LAUNDRY GUY(Baderinwa Ademuyiwa Olanrewaju )
Who knows, that might be the CEO of a future WASHAMAN or Garment care(even creating employment opportunities for people)
Mowo, I love this line of yours, “we are nothing if we see the nothingness in another and ignore it” NICE ONE!
My vote is for the Laundry guy.
What about Angel Net??
My first vote goes to Baderinwa Ademuyiwa Olanrewaju
To me the Lundary guy seems to be heading somewhere clearly defined.
He has my vote too.
@All,
I have taken your feedback, and now you can just click the button and vote…lol… although I still enjoy your gists…
Ciao
Adeolu
My vote goes to the Baderinwa (Laundry man).
I’m adding my voice to those who think these guys should be made accountable.
We need to ensure the money is channeled in the right direction.
skybaba
i have vote for the laundry guy. I think if this is assissted he may be in a better position to render good services to people and also earn a living for himself.
My vote is for the laundry guy….
Maybe its cos we seem to share similar stories…
I’ve just gone through the pictures and I’m definitely convinced I voted for the right person (Laundry Guy).
However, my only concern is the shop:
===========================
“My family members gave me one of the shops in the family house where I stay but it requires a lot of money to put it in
order.”
===========================
The next level for Lanre’s business is to renovate and expand the small shop which he was given by his family members.
===========================
I’ll like to exercise a bit of concern because of the kind of society we live in.
Maybe a few months down the line after Baderinwa has renovated the shop, his Uncle or other family member who gave him the shop may want it back.
I’ll be more comfortable of we can help the laundry guy with a shop with no “strings” attached.
I believe I missed out on how one can contribute to this; can some please advise?
Rgrds,
skybaba
Sky
Maybe you are right, but i have some gut feeling that the guy will and can sort that out. He seems like a survivor and i believe he’s a smart guy.
He will definetely not remain at that place and i can bet that he will move out as soon as he can understand d pace of his business growth. My worry is if we begin to help him chart his course at every point, hmm….then this will be a different reality show entirely…lol
Keep it all up….i enjoy all of this….im so glad im part of it
Na that Laundry guy, he will be in a much better position with a shop he rents rather than squat which can easily turn ugly
@all
Anybody who wants to be a part of this should send me an email at contact me under my picture above informing me of how much he wants to pay… and for now, should pay into my account GTBank or FlashMeCash leaving the comment “for Extreme Makeover” it is the amount we have in excess of what we need to sort the particular person that we will use for the Angel Network for this season.
Weldone guys and gals, I’m proud of our commitment to make things work for others. God will not forget our labor of love.
chairman, well done. keep up the good work May the Good Lord keep empowering u and as many who will make this happen for our dear people. Cheers.
Jangotango (your name brings back some memories from Primary School), you are right, but as Morakinyo rightly said, the guy is a survivor.
I actually gave him a call yesterday to raise my concern, but the response I got from him are the same words Morakinyo wrote.
The guy said he sees that place as a stepping stone, a sort of pivotal point, from which he’ll launch himself to greater heights.
That answer to me sounds like a man who has DREAMS. If the guy had said to me “don’t worry, I’ll take care of my family if that happens”, then I would have concluded the help extreme makeover would render as an END in itself.
But I was challenged by his answer and I could understand that he saw extreme makeover as a MEANS TO a GREATER HEIGHT, not just and END in itself.
I believe that speaks of the kind of person he is and his character.
Chairman, since no be INEC dey conduct this voting, I believe there no chance to double-vote? (RIG). If there is, abeg I wan make another 100 Votes to the Laundry Guy
Rgrds,
skybaba
Well
I can see that the laundry guy is leading and might probably win but my heart goes to the Recharge Card Guy and I voted him simply because he still wants to go to school.
All things work together for good…….
lets keep voting and keep dropping the gist
we are all here to make a difference and to
change the world we live in for the better
If you don’t have money,fine, your contributions
and ideas count so keep it pouring in.
Blessed are those who provide for the sick and the poor;The Lord delivereth them in times of trouble.
Soonest I will chip in my mite.
I so much believe in Ogechi’s dream for himself and his siblings. I am voting for him.
@ D, kudo’s for all ‘re doing out there. u’r really fishinf for men as Our lord taught.
my vote goes to d recharge guy basically bc he sacrificed his comfort and dreams for now to help build the siblings and hape them for tomorrow– he understds dat “delay is not denial”. He undstds the law of diversification as he wants to help d family and at d same time he is focused on his education thru the recharge card biz, he only needs to be directed aright.
that is what this whole extreme makeover is all abt, if he gets to learn to fish.
@ All
We will be effecting the payment to the winner tomorrow. We will put a trustee arrangement in place to ensure that we are not merely giving fish but helping men to fish.
Will keep you all updated.
Cheers
Great Job. God will never forget your labour of love. He that gives seed to the sower willl give you more seeds. Amen
@ Ifects,
U don win this month, u can relax a bit now! LOL!!!
But really, these write-ups are boiling hot, it is worth commending chairman for sharing.
sir, i know you have the final say but i will like to give my vote to the laundry guy because of his passion and dogged determination