degree course. The other thing that stopped it, which was a very low moment in my life, was the demise of my grandmother. I lost her, so she couldn’t take me to Obey. That’s my beginning. It was probably not all smooth sailing, but my grandmother created the cushioning effect.
I am from a polygamous home. I have two sisters and a brother. We were not particular favorites of the first wife, hence my leaning more to my grandmother. My father tried his bit to protect us and some distance also helped. We were not living under the same roof as our father at the early stages of our lives, but I did later when I could protect myself.
When I was in primary school, I had to shuttle between Abeokuta and Lagos whenever I needed something from my dad. I would wake up early to join a petrol tanker to Lagos. This was how it worked: the man living next door to us had a petrol tanker that used to go to Lagos to load fuel. I usually followed him to Lagos to catch up with my dad who was working with Standard Bank. The trips were filled with a lot of uncertainties − the truck breaking down, or even getting to Lagos and not getting the money I asked for.
Eventually, I had to go to Lagos for my secondary school education; the last part of my primary school was also done in Lagos. At that time my dad was staying in Lagos alone with one or two of my other brothers. I stayed with him there, completed my secondary education and came back to Abeokuta for my A-levels.
It was after my A-levels that