Skill acquisition and application helps to build the business world — Omotayo
By Moses Nosike
Omotayo
Akinbami Bashiru Omotayo, is the first born of a family of two boys. His father is from Ogun state while his mother from Ondo state. Without thinking about Bashiru’s future and career, his parents abandoned him at age 2 with his grandmother . “My grandmother and I used to travel a lot within the country on business trips. That made me develop interest for self-employment while I was still small. So, my grandmother started training me and I lived with her until I grew up.
“Because my parents were not available to plan for my education and future, I had to face many challenges attending both primary and secondary education. And to crown it all, my cousin who should have helped me out died.
“However, having lived with a grandmother who is a trader, I was determined in my heart to survive despite the challenges I went through.”
What happened to your parents?
According to what I heard, my parents abandoned me when I was two years, and it was said that they travelled to London. Since then, nobody knew whether they were alive or dead till date. I am 21 years old. They left me with my grandmother for a while and later , they came back to tell her they were going to London and left with my younger brother and that was all that was heard from them.
How did you finish your primary and secondary schools ?
My primary and secondary education were very challenging. I can say that I sponsored myself and my grandmother helped me a lot because I used to hawk each time I came back from school. My grandmother will put fish, garri for me to hawk around the streets and after sales, some part of the profit realised would be used for my schooling. I did not stop hawking items during my secondary school. It was very rough and painful to me because I had to do a lot of hawking on the streets, selling pure water and clothes. At different times, I became a bus conductor, brick layer, just to make sure I had money for school fees and books in addition.
What are you doing now in terms of career?
Before I came into what I’m doing today, photography, I was working with a church called, This Present House at Lekki. I was helping to maintain the church premises. I was there till I finished my secondary school. Of course my education was delayed because of finance. So when I finished my secondary education in July 2009, I started looking for a job. In August 2009, I got information about an organisation offering training on entrepreneurship skills called Youth Bank through Freedom Foundation , but the major ones available at that time was Sound Engineering and Photography.
Initially I was not interested in photography. So, I filled the form for sound engineering in the form they gave us. After their screening, I was one of those that qualified for the training. For two weeks, we were trained on entrepreneurship; communication, budgeting and customer relations. At the end of the two weeks training, they gave us certificates of honour. Then they conducted another screening and I was among the shortlisted eight for the first fellowship of Youth Bank in Nigeria and we represent Nigeria internationally.
How did you divert to photography since you filled for sound engineering in the enrolment form?
During the interview session, they were not asking us whether you want to do sound engineering or photography . The questions were based on current issues on Nigeria; what do you think you can do for Nigeria, about the youths, entrepreneurship and so on? And they picked people based on the questions they asked you. That is how I was enrolled into photography. And it’s like after their questions they will now determine the area to enrol you.
What did you do with the skill you acquired through Youth Bank?
The training really was an empowerment. It was meant to last for six months but it lasted for a year in which they promised to empower us after the training. Among the eight of us, it was only six people that graduated .The other two could not make it to the end. On the day of graduation, we were asked to pick business ideas. A lot of big organisations were invited: companies like MTN and others and there were high profile people who were the judges and they asked questions on what you think you want to do. What you think you want to do is not necessarily what you have learnt. Some of my colleagues said they want go into decoration and things like that. But I was the only one that picked photography. The panel of judges would now ask questions based on what you said. They would now assess you to know whether you are qualified for the loan. Fortunately, I was the only one qualified for the loan.
After all that, I did not wait for the loan, I moved on. I recalled that during my secondary school days, Bank PHB came to our school and opened a free account for many students. Thereafter, I started making little savings and with the little I had, I started my business with N70,000.00. After that training, I wrote my business project proposal, my vision and mission with my biography. I used it to solicit for funds .It was only three people that came to my aid. One gave me N25,000, another gave me N25,000 and the last person gave N20,000. I added it to what I had and gave to somebody who was travelling to London to buy me a camera which he did after adding more money to what I gave him. So, when he came back ,I had to refund him the money he added for the camera.
I also approached a micro finance bank that gave me a loan and after two weeks I paid back. That was how I got started, how I got the equipment I’m using today.
How good is the business?
So far, so good. I believe it is God’s grace. People are coming to patronise my business in as much as I’m offering them the best service anybody can offer. Several times ,I remained awake at night doing people’s work. I make sure my work is outstanding because I know I had passed through challenges and I need to survive.
I have passion for my job. I don’t think about money first but rather, how to satisfy my customers. I think about the customers’ satisfaction , my reputation and customer relationship. Sometimes ,you might do a job for people and they won’t want to pay, you just keep pushing. Some of them will complain reasonably and some unreasonably and you have to exercise patience and listen to their complaints. I don’t argue with my customers but I listen to them to make sure I got things right and show understanding.
What about competitions in the industry?
Yes. Competitions are there because there are big names already in the industry before I entered into photography. I found out that some of them are there for the money. They don’t have passion for the job. They want to make money, they don’t want to make customers. I started my own at the right place, Lekki where you have well -to -do people and in the church where I can get more clients. I go to the professionals to ask questions and buy their ideas to make sure I improve on a daily basis and to make sure I am not swallowed in the market.
What is your advice for Nigerian youths?
You see, I attended a public school where we had no teachers from JS1 to JS3. But I bought books, of course. I had a scholarship from an organisation called Bethseida (NGO) who helps children of less privileges founded by Mrs. Rapo. There was a day I went to work for somebody and he didn’t want to pay me after the work and so, I fought with him because it was painful considering my condition. There was this woman who came from London and she asked me why was I fighting. I explained to her and she was the one that gave me the scholarship based on the condition that she would support me anytime I needed books. I went to her from time to time and I was also buying some books for myself as well.
When I finished secondary school, I sat for JAMB and I passed, went to UNILAG for post-JAMB and passed, but having known what is obtainable in Nigerian school system these days, I was not offered admission. Yes everybody wants to go to University, but let’s understand that it is not everybody that will make it through education. Those who did not make it to the university should sit down and think on what else to learn. University doesn’t guarantee 100 per cent employment. Youths should have that mentality of working for themselves, becoming their own boss. They should attend trainings that can empower them to become self-employed.
Presently in my business, I make a hundred thousand a month depending on the volume of work that come and sometimes , I make more than that.
