gave the job to us. It is very
signicant to note that a small
boy wearing an oversized suit
was doing all of that. Besides
at this point, I had already
employed three other
marketing ofcers to work
with me. I was not paid a
salary because my boss said
he wanted to make a tough
person out of me, and so he
placed me on internship. He
was paying me 10%
commission on every job I
brought in. So if I brought a
job worth 200,000 naira I got
20,000 naira and that's what I
used in paying the people
who worked with me.
At this point I was fteen but
mentally I was twenty ve. I
really wanted to start my
business at that point by
moving away from
La'shakara. One day I met a
kid and this was the turning
point of my life. This kid was
talented, he knew how to play
the guitar, he was an acrobat,
and he was everything. He
spoke well but he was barely
wearing boxers, he wasn't
putting on a shirt and
he had no slippers
on. Then I went to
speak with him
and he told me
he didn't have
anyone, and the
rst thing that
struck me was
that I saw a
younger version
of me in that
boy, it was like
deep calling
unto deep. I sort
of befriended
him and every
day after work I
would go and meet him and
his friends and we would talk
and I would buy them food. In
the mornings they would go
and buy food on credit and
when I come back from work I
would pay. I knew I had to do
more, so I got the two of them
to school and I felt satised
with myself. I was fteen at
this time.
Question: Wow!! About those
kids, how did you get them to
school?
Response: I had money, don't
forget that I was the
marketing director and then
there was a man who helped
and I felt like that man was an
angel because I was this small
crazy boy. I was literally crazy
because I look back now and
the me today would not make
the decisions I made back
then. He listened and he
believed and he got his
money involved. Somehow I
cannot explain how he
believed in all that I was
saying; I had no proof, I had
no competence, I was very
inadequate by any standards
in terms of taking care of
other kids or other peoples
kids but he put his money in it
and we got these kids back to
school and I thought, “okay,
James you are the son in
whom I'm well pleased.”
(Smiles)*
I was well pleased with myself
but then I met some other
street kids and every day I
couldn't sleep when I got
back. I kept thinking about
those kids, I just knew I had to
do something. I didn't know
how I was going to do it, but I
kept going back to them and I
would go with my white shirt
and tie and sit with them
where they were. It wasn't
about giving them
money but about
listening to their
story, the fact that
someone cared
enough to listen.
One day I was about
to leave for work
and one of them
held my hand and
said please don't go
keep teaching us
good things and
then I just knew I
had to push the
bar. I got a job for
ve of them at the
15