Since photographs of the 44-year-old man hawking doughnuts while neatly dressed went viral, the Akwa Ibom-born father of two has
suddenly transcended from a little known Nigerian to a celebrity of
sort
But beyond the fame the 44-year-old man now enjoys, Udoka has been
through the rough patches of life, contending with deprivation and
crushing hardship for the most part of his early life.
I have received a lot of calls from people telling me that
they have been seeing and reading different interesting things about me
on the social media. Whenever I go out to hawk these days, people treat
me differently, as if I am a superstar. Though I am excited about this I
give all glory to God
It was tough when I first arrived Lagos, I was rejected in almost all the factories I went to search for job
not because I wasn’t fit but because the people there always felt
factory work was not for a person like me.
At one of such places, a staff of the factory where I had gone
to look for work told me that I should go and get proper education,
that he saw me becoming something big in the future and not limiting
myself to a factory. That was the last time I ever went out to look for
job again
Udoka soon ventured into frying and
selling bean cake (akara) around his
Ojota neighbourhood. It turned out a big hit. Within weeks after he
started, everyone was looking for his brand of akara. But just when he was enjoying the fruits of his labour
and thinking on how to expand his business to meet the growing demand,
everything came crashing.
People would come from very far places just to buy my akara.
It was as if they had been waiting for the type that I did for a long
time. I was never short of patronage,” he said.
I was surprised when all of a sudden people stopped patronising my akara, There
was a rumour in town that a man somewhere in Mushin was caught using
human blood to prepare his akara and that had a negative impact on the
patronage of the snack. It affected many of us in the business
tremendously. I had to gather the small money I had managed to save to
buy a motorcycle for commercial transportation
Like akara, Udoka’s new products also gave him popularity in the
entire Ojota/Ogudu area of the metropolis where a lot of people fondly
nicknamed him “chop better” – for the richness of his snack.
Though he didn’t make as much as when he was marketing bean cake,
the new items also brought in a decent income. But more than the
sweetness of his products, it was his mode of dressing that attracted
customers to him the most – the Akwa Ibom native was always looking
smart and neat while hawking his wares.
“A lot of women always told me whenever they came across me
that if they were mine they would never allow a neatly dressed man like
me to hawk. But unknown to them I was married already.
“I had to always dress well because the Bible says that
whatever our hands findeth to do, we should do it well, so I had to
apply wisdom into my business. Dressing well was one of the strategies I
have used to grow my business. It is a way of appealing to customers
who ordinarily wouldn’t even think of buying doughnut at the time,” he said.
But beyond the regular profit he was making from the business and
all the attention that followed, the 44-year-old had bigger dreams. He
wanted something that would open doors for him – a more guaranteed route
to escape poverty and all the sufferings that he had experienced in his
life.
To make that dream a reality, he enrolled for the 2015 Unified
Tertiary Matriculation Examination to study Political Science Education
at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom. The idea came not only as a joke to
many who knew him including his 41-year-old wife, Dorothy, but also as a
feat impossible to achieve.
“My wife felt I was playing an expensive joke when I told her
of my desire to go to the university by sitting for UTME,” he said. “She
felt because of my age I should rather invest in our children instead
of going to school myself. But that didn’t deter me, I insisted and God
has been faithful.
“Even though I was always busy hawking my items, I enrolled for
tutorials at a centre in Ojota to prepare me for the exam. Many times I
went there with my snacks and while receiving lectures some students
would patronise me. I never missed tutorials for once.
“I have faced a lot of hardship in my life, so I didn’t want to
go the rest of my life like that. I realised education was the gateway
in life. I knew if I could get education, many of my problems in life
would be solved. All the while I was selling akara and riding okada, I
had always nursed that desire to go to school. I had hope that one day I
would be enlisted into one Nigerian university and by the grace of God
that dream has come true,” he said with a tinge of fulfillment.
Attaining that feat didn’t come easy – challenges in different
forms came his way. While some made subtle jests at him, others told it
to his face that he was only wasting his time. But the more they tried
to discourage him, the more his resolve grew stronger.
“A lot of people sometimes wondered what an elderly person like
me was coming to do at the UTME tutorial centre. In fact it took a long
time for even the security men at the place to accept that I was also a
student coming for tutorials.
“But by the grace of God when the result came out, I was
vindicated. I scored 333 in the exam even though I was 43 at the time
and was combining hawking and studying. I and my daughter, Favour, sat
the exam at the same time and we both did well.
“I am studying Political Science Education at the University of
Uyo, I was admitted as a full time student but I asked to switch to
part time so that I can continue to do my business. My daughter is
studying Public Administration at the same university and we are both in
200 level.
“Many of my lecturers today use me as a reference point in some
of their teachings. They salute my courage and determination to succeed
at all cost.
“I must let you know that I don’t miss lectures because I don’t
like to copy other people’s notes. A lot of useful things are said
during lectures, so I don’t like to miss them. I have never failed any
course since gaining admission. Many people see me as a role model,” he said.
Apart from attributing his success so far to the mercies of God,
Udoka also fingers his unique mode of appearance as playing a key role
in his wide acceptance even in Uyo where he had stayed less than two
years since gaining admission into the city’s university. He receives
favour in torrents.
“People favour me a lot,” he cuts in. “Many times customers tell me to keep the change and use it to take good care of myself when they patronise me.
“In fact in 2012, the commissioner for environment in Lagos at
the time during a chance encounter told me that he liked the way I
dressed and conducted my business and that he would love to assist me
with some money. He gave me N100, 000 and it was out of that money that I
registered for UTME.
“Here in Uyo, people patronise me a lot. They look at my
dressing and ask why I returned from America. They think I had lived
abroad before and only came back as a result of certain circumstances.
“After arriving here, I had to go to a catering school to
acquire more skills for my business. I am a qualified caterer now; a lot
of people have been coming to learn from me,” he said.
The future is looking brighter than it was a few years back, the
44-year-old is already looking forward to better things to come. But
while making those lofty pursuits, he has not forgotten the woman that
has stood by him all these years. Her place in his heart is special.
“It is my heart desire for my wife to also go to the university after I graduate,” Udoka, sounding a bit emotional at this point, said. “She
has been very supportive; she has been a strong pillar behind me. Since
I and Favour moved to Uyo for studies, she has been taking care of the
home, herself and our 17-year-old son, Donald. I cannot thank her enough
for all the love, support and understanding.
“In life, when you record success people will begin to see you
differently. My wife sees me differently and appreciates me the more
now. Recently she was in Uyo to spend one week with me. I really
appreciate this. My wish for her now is to see her attain the level of
education I have now. It will make me happy.”
Culled from: Punch.
Since photographs of the man hawking doughnuts while
neatly dressed went viral, the Akwa Ibom-born father of two has
suddenly transcended from a little known Nigerian to a celebrity of
sort
But beyond the fame, Udoka has been
through the rough patches of life
I have received a lot of calls from people telling me that
they have been seeing and reading different interesting things about me
on the social media. Whenever I go out to hawk these days, people treat
me differently, as if I am a superstar. Though I am excited about this I
give all glory to God
It was tough when I first arrived Lagos, I was rejected in almost all the factories I went to search for job, At one of such places, a staff of the factory told me that I should go and get proper education,
that he saw me becoming something big in the future. That was the last time I ever went out to look for
job again
Udoka ventured into frying and
selling bean cake (akara) and It turned out a big hit Within weeks, but everything came crashing.
I was surprised when all of a sudden people stopped patronising my akara, There
was a rumour in town that a man somewhere in Mushin was caught using
human blood to prepare his akara. I had to gather the small money I had managed to save to
buy a motorcycle for commercial transportation
I had to always dress well because the Bible says that
whatever our hands findeth to do, we should do it well, so I had to
apply wisdom into my business, People favour me a lot, Many times customers tell me to keep the change
In fact in 2012, the commissioner for environment in Lagos gave me N100, 000 and it was out of that money that I
registered for UTME
My Wife Never Believed I Could Stoop So Low, It is my heart desire for my wife to also go to the university after I graduate, She
has been very supportive; she has been a strong pillar behind me
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