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THE OLD RULE OF THUMB

There was a time when the criterion for enrolling children into school was for the hand to go across their head to touch their ear. It was deemed practical and the proper judgement for establishing a child old enough to get an education.  Many of our parents experienced this because there was no documentation regarding age/birth certificates, so the logic was to ascertain a child's age by specific abilities. Take, for instance, Diana in 1985. The education standard for getting into school was from the age of 5. Diana's mother had painted beautiful pictures of a school's appearance and said that only sensible people were considered worthy of being a part of it. All Diana wanted to do was put on the new socks and shoes her mother had purchased. Diana dreamt of reciting the greeting the night before, 'Good morning, teacher; we are happy to see you; God bless you.' And so, Diana was taken to school that morning for enrolment. 'Fine girl, raise your right hand over y...
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The Roadside Mechanic


THE ROADSIDE MECHANIC

My brain was never interested in school work. Sometimes I wish I had listened to my father and many other relatives who wanted me to have an education. I remember getting flogged constantly in school for failing one subject or the other. I honestly tried my best but it never was good enough. SO I TOOK TO MY FATHER’S ADVICE:
“Okoro, since you no wan go school, oya go learn handwork.”
Being a mechanic like other jobs, is not easy. The curiosity I have for it however makes it interesting and I try to improve myself every day. I started my apprenticeship in 2005, at the age of 18. Ah! I suffered during those years. Frequently my Oga would ask me:
“Okoro, you sure say you get head for this work? No come waste your time here o…”
But I kept on for five years amidst all the setbacks, insults and discouragement from many people around me then. Now I am my own Oga!
For me, speaking and trying to convince my customers tends to be one of the difficult aspects of my job. If something goes wrong with a car I’ve just worked on, it makes matters even worse especially when the owner is a woman. You know they don’t take nonsense. Sometimes I offer to correct the mistake which might not have been my fault for free and other times after much talking forth and back, the customer pays for the unforeseen repair.
To many people I am nothing but a roadside mechanic and that’s fine. As long as it is not a crime and it puts food on my table, clothes on my body and shelter over my head, I am a hero in my lane. I have been saving all these years. One day, very soon, I hope to have my own mechanic workshop that I will call Jomiloju Nigeria LTD.

A Shared Experience

Don't forget to be honest. 

Comments

  1. Unknown8 July 2019 at 01:53

    Despite the odds, he was able to scale through. This days is what you can do with your hands that matters. Not your certificate. #laslasschoolnascam

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Murphy8 July 2019 at 02:09

      School is not a scam. People scam themselves by going to school and focusing only on academics without adding extra value to their lives. Of course there are rich people without proper education, but a diligent educated man will beat an uneducated man any day, because his horizon has naturally been broadened by good education. I rest my case.

      Delete
    2. EMMAWAD8 July 2019 at 07:23

      Lol nice hashtag! We will get to that point where school or no school won't define who we truly are and what we are capable of doing.

      Delete
  2. Unknown8 July 2019 at 02:50

    Nice story. Although it's kind of cliche, so to speak. But my question is, why would a guy whose name is okoro(an igbo name) call his company jomololu(a Yoruba name)?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8 July 2019 at 07:20

      Hmm that's life for you. To you it's cliché to someone out there it might be an eye opener. And trust me, I have seen many Yoruba having Igbo names. Guess it's what his circle if friends call him...

      Delete
    2. EMMAWAD8 July 2019 at 11:21

      Okoro is actually a nickname

      Delete

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