HARD WORK, THE ONLY WAY TO GREATNESS, GOD ASIDE.

In 1998,as usual, I washed a man's car, a grey colour regular Benz wagon, very clean, in expectation of a financial benefit should he arrives from abuja the next day but on that next day, he told me he had no money and I replied,its OK sir, I will still be here when next you come around. Ever since then, we became best of friend.

In 2001, I stopped car wash business and decided to go work as a house maid at M.K.O Abiola gardens Lagos also with someone I loved so much because he shared my pain in 1999 and gave me the balance of the waec fee to be rewritten in year 2000, which I cleared with four distinctions and five credits through routine shuttling between my car wash business location and old secretariat G.R.A Ikeja central library in the course of preparing for the exams. Though, some years later while working as a driver many of my bosses never believed I had an o'level.

In 2002, I got a 5k/month office assistance job which enable me to have a place to lay my head peacefully and plan for the challenges ahead of me whilst learning the principle behind  reading at least a book a week. That was when i read the book titled" sailing the ship of state" by shola Quadri. It talks about the political struggle of Obafemi Awolowo to ensure a truly independent Nigeria with citizens liberated away from colonial mentality. It was an awesome experience because there I met a man who is now a top director in one of Nigeria's fast growing financial institution and till date, we are best of friends and I  call him uncle.

By 2003, I took the jamb form and decided to study agricultural economics after listening to pastor Sam adeyemi's sermon on the importance of trailing one's line of best fit in career path because the best you can be when trying to be like others is second best.

By January 2004, I got a driving job that endhered me the opportunity of knowing many bankers now in the industry and we are like family whenever we see in a function. While still working as a driver in 2004, I wrote the jamb exam, choosing the University of Ibadan as my first choice and Ladoke Akintola as my second choice. I scored a 225 marks for a 220 cut off mark course and I was given an admission on merit list without spending a dime for lobbying to study in the premier university. Preparing for the exam in 2004 was fun because when ever i dropped my madam at the Niger House broad street, Lagos island, the next place was the central library in front of the bookshop after parking the car in the car park.

In my 200level, providence linked me up again with the man I washed car for in 1998 while given a try by dialing his mobile line and I got through to him. He shouted, Sanya! Where have you been and I replied that I am now in the university. He said good! Which of the university, I said, university of ibadan and he asked: are you sure? I said yes sir! Ok ! Quickly meet me at Iwo road, I had a flat tyre. I got there on a bike in less than 40 minutes and I remembered vividly the look on his face. We got the tyre fixed and I got him lodged in Davies hotel bodija ibadan. I was with him in the hotel till 9:00pm but while eating with him on the same table, he told me that now I don't see you like a nuisance unlike when you were a car washer and we both laughed it off inclusive of several other jokes. After that day, this man gives me 10k every semester till I graduated from ui in 2010.

The rest is history and 2days ago, myself and this man were in one of the state government in Nigeria to defend a multimillion naira agric project proposal and as usual after the hot seat, we were at a fast food restaurant, eating and appreciating each other especially the brilliancy exhibited in front of top government official  by a former car washer, house boy, office assistant and a driver.

Poverty is a sin and a disease. Reject every bit of the thought whilst trusting God, you can work your way with hard work and determination out of it. Above all things, believe in delayed gratification as every step in life is a project.

Hard work does not kill! Work hard and be smart. There is nothing like smart work to me, personally. All of the appellation of smart work in our society amounts to semantic stealing.

We will meet at the top.

Akande Akin Sanyaolu.
CEO/Agricultural Specialist, Boldan Agro Ventures.