By Taye Obateru & Grateful Dakat
To many young Nigerians, the end of the compulsory one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) comes with fear of the unknown. With the high unemployment rate in the country and the employment opportunities getting fewer, many of those rounding off their service year cannot but be anxious of what the future holds.

But for Olaseni Adewole, who recently concluded her youth service in Plateau State, while she desires to pick up a job as soon as possible, she is not jobless.

According to her, she has from her student days taken entrepreneurship seriously and had therefore learnt to engage in money-yielding ventures to make ends meet. While in school at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos where she studied Business Administration, ‘Seni as she is fondly called, got the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from her department because of her exploits in business.

“Back in school, I was well known for making snacks so people would call me and make their bookings. I made deliveries to fast food shops, students and lecturers while in school”, she told Sunday Vanguard. All through her service year in Jos, she also made extra money through cake baking and production of snacks despite her busy schedule in the bank where she did her primary assignment.

*Olaseni Adewole

According to her, “it was not difficult combining the bank job and my business because most of the big events are usually during the weekends. I hate idleness and God has always given me the strength to carry on, so as I work, I carry my business along.

It is just like people working and at the same time managing a cafe, boutique or even a super market. “What I do is to plan my schedule well so that my business does not clash with my other commitments. For instance, how I coped during the service year was that after my CD (community development) meetings on Thursdays, I use the remaining hours of the day to make my cakes and snacks which in most cases were booked in advance by colleagues and other customers. On Fridays, I would wake up early to deliver them before going to the office. I will continue with my business while still searching for a job.”

On what her driving force is, ‘Seni said being an orphan was no excuse for not struggling to achieve her dreams and contributing her quota to making society better. She believes that such disadvantages should rather serve as a springboard and motivation to attain heights and become a star. In line with her dream, ‘Seni who had lived all her life in Lagos said she has fallen in love with Jos and was planning to set up a catering business in the city.

“I have seen the potentials for growth here. Plateau State is economically viable for starters and even established entrepreneurs”, she said. As Vice-President of the Federal Road Safety Corps CD Group which mounted a sign post stressing the importance of using seat belt at a strategic part of the state capital, ‘Seni said she found the opportunity satisfying because it tallied with her passion of seeking avenues to serve humanity.

She explained that the idea of mounting sign posts to warn motorists was initially her personal project but she gave it up for the group as a team player. As a parting shot she has this advice for incoming youth corps members: “if you are posted to a ‘desert’ please make it a fertile land; live a life worthy of emulation, be dedicated and loyal, give yourself to the service of humanity, and always remember that a good name is better than many riches.”

Ex-youth corps member, Olaseni Adewole