‘Though life was cruel, fate smiled on me’

Some people are fortunate enough to be born with silver spoon in their mouths while others have to work exceptionally hard to purchase one for themselves.

Angela Ubong, a 32-year old woman, falls into the latter category. The eldest child in a family of eight children, Angela who grew up in the midst of extreme poverty, says her parents drummed it into her ears quite early in life that she had to work twice as hard as privileged children to probably get half of what they have and this, she says, stuck in her brains for long time.

“I can remember quite vividly while growing up, my mother would always drag me inside our one room apartment whenever I was playing with my peers, most of whom were from wealthy or middle-classed homes, and reminded me why I needed to study hard. She said those kids could afford to play their entire life because their future was secured but I could not risk that because they were steps ahead of me,” she began.

For someone who came from a state stereotyped as one that breeds housemaids, gatemen, cooks and drivers, Angela was determined to change the course of their lives and this she did by devoting her entire spare time to her studies.

She continued, “I knew where I was coming from and I decided on where I wanted to go. My mother was a cook and I had no plans of taking after her profession. I wanted something better than the menial jobs my people were known for, not just for myself but to improve the life of my family members.”

Angela observed that the rich does not necessarily work harder than the poor and as such she said her little mind could not understand why her parents who engaged in strenuous jobs earned so little.

“As a small child in primary six, I watched my parents struggle and sweat all day only to come home with meager income that could barely take care of the family needs. The rich, on the other hand, like the ones my parents worked for, just cross their legs, give orders while sipping their cups of tea. I wanted their life, money and I was ready to work to get there. The only way for a poor soul like me was to read my way up there and that I was prepared for”.

Angela’s father promised to make sure she got the best education possible but he never lived to fulfill his promise as death came calling earlier than they imagined, making life even more difficult than it was for them.

“I was preparing for my Junior Secondary School examination when my father died. He had an accident while he was on duty; so the company bore part of the burden in his burial. Life became so tough for us because my mother was earning so little compared to my Dad and it was the resources coming in from my father that had sustained us all those years”.

After struggling to complete her secondary school education, Angela could not proceed to the university because the resources to get her were not available. She had to get a job to save up some money for school and also support her family.

“I passed my secondary school examinations at one sitting but there was no money to further my education. I got a teaching job in one private school close to my house and with the small salary I got from there, I helped my mother take care of my younger ones”

Two years after working as a primary school teacher, Angela’s mother who was now a trader decided it was time for Angela to go back to school but on the condition that she saw her other siblings through school once she was out.

“After thinking about our condition, my mother told me to buy JAMB form so I could go back to school. We agreed that once I was done with school, I would help her train my brothers and sisters.

“I got admission into one of the Federal Universities in the country to study Banking and Finance, with the dream of working in one of the good banks in the country. It was really difficult for me to survive in school with the money I was getting from home. I had to start braiding student’s hair mostly on Saturdays and Sundays to make more money for handouts and other needs”.

“I was posted to Benue State for my youth service and I prayed to serve with any bank because I heard most people are lucky enough to be retained after service but I ended up serving in a secondary school in village. I had no problem with food because the students showered me and other teachers with most of their farm produce so I sent half of my money home every month as soon as I got the alert”.

After youth service, she combed the streets of Port Harcourt looking for Jobs but when she could not find her desired job, she ended up with the one that was available.

“I left Benue for Port Harcourt two days after collecting my discharge certificate and immediately started job hunting. I’ve always wanted to work in a bank but when the bank job was not forthcoming, I started teaching again but this time in a secondary school. The salary was okay for a single person but not someone like me that had so many responsibilities”

Faced with the task of taking care of her siblings, Angela resigned after teaching for four months with the decision to travel to Lagos in search of greener pastures.

“While I was going around submitting my CV in different companies, most of them told me that, they would get back to me after hearing from their head office in Lagos. I’ve heard stories about Lagos and the opportunities inherent in that city so I told my Mum about my plans and she said I could stay with her friend pending the time I got a place of my own”

The next day after Angela touched Lagos, she was everywhere submitting her résumé with the hope that one of the companies would call her soon. Heaven however, smiled on her and the interviews soon came rolling in.

One of the companies she submitted her résumé invited her for interview after which she was offered a job. The take home was huge and she wasted no time in sharing the good news with her family whose joy knew no bounds.

“I got a text message to come for an interview in a company on Lagos Island and this was one job I prayed to get because the salary was inviting as one of the staff told me. I did my best during test and interview and was called to come and pick up my letter of appointment. My mum was so happy when I told her about the job because her business was not generating as much money as before.

Less than two weeks after working in her new office, she was shocked beyond words when her boss told her she has to be his mistress and when she shook her head, he said her days in the company were numbered.

“My boss sent for me one morning and told me he wanted us to start going out and when I refused he said I could not continue working with them. I felt very bad hearing it then because I’ve already wasted so much money on transport moving to and fro from Agege to Lagos Island for almost two weeks.

“It’s easy to condemn and talk ill about ladies who give in to temptations like this when you’re not in their shoes. If not because of my upbringing, I was tempted at some point for the sake of my family but after weighing what I would gain against what I would lose, I discovered that it was not worth the try”.

The next few months marked the phase of another trying period for Angela who besides taking care of her personal needs had her family to worry about.

“When I got home that fateful day, I decided that I was no longer going back to that office. I went through a lot in the university and I never for once thought about cheapening myself to get what I needed so, I cannot afford to do that now.

“I went back to braiding people’s hair but this time on a home service basis but was not making enough to take care of myself and still support some of my siblings who were in school”

Angela finally got another job in a hospital as an administration manager. Although she’s not where she wants to be, she says she’s hopeful things will get better and she encouraged her siblings to always embrace  hard work  with the promise to give assistance where and whenever she can.

Chinwe Agbeze