Like every other normal student, Odion had big dreams and ambitions for himself. He dreamt of being celebrated by all and sundry in his community. As a man of timber and calibre, he hoped to use his wealth and affluence to touch the lives of many and put an end to the endemic plague of poverty that bedevilled Ndike; his motherland.
At an early age, he aspired to attain the greatest heights ever reached by any man from his clan and to make this ambition materialise, he studied for long hours, listened attentively in class, did extra research on lesson notes and as such he was always top of his class.
To show his distaste for mediocrity, Odion consciously aimed for the 90th percentile in every subject he took and with his unquenchable zeal, he was best in every subject all through his secondary school days. Unperturbed by the tales of woes accompanying the WAEC,JAMB and Post JAMB examinations, he came out in flying colours without much perspiration. In no time Odion found himself studying Agricultural Economics at the prestigious Delta State University.
Given the fact that he was raised in Ndike; a remote village somewhere in the south of the delta, Odion had a lot of first hand experience with farming. He saw farmers lose their crops to pests/diseases, he saw farm produce rot away due to the absence of proper storage facilities, he saw arable farm land lie fallow and yet the people were poor in the land that was very suitable for various crops.
The most painful experience he suffered as a child was seeing his father sell-off the Oil Palm plantation he inherited. Out of desperation, he agreed to a meagre N60,000 in return. Years later, they learnt that the plantation was worth N12,000,000 as at the time it was sold. His father was broken; the only asset they had was gone...Gone for peanuts! The ageing man was left with no other option but to work as a farm hand just to keep body and soul together.
Odion felt really bad at the dramatic turn of fortune in his family and blamed it on the poor advice his father received concerning the sale of their land. He then vowed to do well in school and help illiterate farmers gain access to agricultural loans/grants, equipment and knowledge. With this access, he hoped to guide them on the best farm practices, introduce them to mechanised farming, help them purchase and use improved seedlings, pesticides, storage & irrigation facilities etc
Eventually, Ndike and its inhabitants would reap the good of the land and the ignominy of poverty would be wiped away from them eternally. This dream thus spurred Odion to study Agricultural economics at the university.
Weeks turned into months and months into years, Odion eventually graduated from the university with a First Class Honours. He was celebrated by his whole faculty in grand style and many spoke of him in admiration long after he was gone.
A few months later, he was deployed to Plateau state for his NYSC. Even though he was aware of the security situation in the state, he happily obliged against his parent's will. Odion encouraged himself amidst the turmoil that he was only a few inches close to his childhood dreams as he reported at his place of primary assignment daily without fail.
After 12months, he was discharged from National Service and returned home to his parents at Ndike; where he was greeted like royalty. When all the celebrations died down, his parents began to remind him on the need for him to get a fancy job with one of the companies in the city, make lots of money like other young men in the city and take care of them in their old age. After all, they spent their whole life struggling to make him the man he is today.
The next week, Odion packed his bags and left for Lagos in search of a fancy job and greener pastures. He obviously had no idea of what he was going to encounter. Life in Lagos was solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short. Everybody was in a money making frenzy, life was fast paced, the economy was declining, only few had enough; the majority were barely surviving and he was in a haste to make money and develop his village.
Next week, we shall all be seeing how life in Lagos treated Odion and what happened to Odions grandiose dreams. Its a must read for you; Many lessons to be learnt!
. . . . . . . . . The story continues...
At an early age, he aspired to attain the greatest heights ever reached by any man from his clan and to make this ambition materialise, he studied for long hours, listened attentively in class, did extra research on lesson notes and as such he was always top of his class.
To show his distaste for mediocrity, Odion consciously aimed for the 90th percentile in every subject he took and with his unquenchable zeal, he was best in every subject all through his secondary school days. Unperturbed by the tales of woes accompanying the WAEC,JAMB and Post JAMB examinations, he came out in flying colours without much perspiration. In no time Odion found himself studying Agricultural Economics at the prestigious Delta State University.
Given the fact that he was raised in Ndike; a remote village somewhere in the south of the delta, Odion had a lot of first hand experience with farming. He saw farmers lose their crops to pests/diseases, he saw farm produce rot away due to the absence of proper storage facilities, he saw arable farm land lie fallow and yet the people were poor in the land that was very suitable for various crops.
The most painful experience he suffered as a child was seeing his father sell-off the Oil Palm plantation he inherited. Out of desperation, he agreed to a meagre N60,000 in return. Years later, they learnt that the plantation was worth N12,000,000 as at the time it was sold. His father was broken; the only asset they had was gone...Gone for peanuts! The ageing man was left with no other option but to work as a farm hand just to keep body and soul together.
Odion felt really bad at the dramatic turn of fortune in his family and blamed it on the poor advice his father received concerning the sale of their land. He then vowed to do well in school and help illiterate farmers gain access to agricultural loans/grants, equipment and knowledge. With this access, he hoped to guide them on the best farm practices, introduce them to mechanised farming, help them purchase and use improved seedlings, pesticides, storage & irrigation facilities etc
Eventually, Ndike and its inhabitants would reap the good of the land and the ignominy of poverty would be wiped away from them eternally. This dream thus spurred Odion to study Agricultural economics at the university.
Weeks turned into months and months into years, Odion eventually graduated from the university with a First Class Honours. He was celebrated by his whole faculty in grand style and many spoke of him in admiration long after he was gone.
A few months later, he was deployed to Plateau state for his NYSC. Even though he was aware of the security situation in the state, he happily obliged against his parent's will. Odion encouraged himself amidst the turmoil that he was only a few inches close to his childhood dreams as he reported at his place of primary assignment daily without fail.
After 12months, he was discharged from National Service and returned home to his parents at Ndike; where he was greeted like royalty. When all the celebrations died down, his parents began to remind him on the need for him to get a fancy job with one of the companies in the city, make lots of money like other young men in the city and take care of them in their old age. After all, they spent their whole life struggling to make him the man he is today.
The next week, Odion packed his bags and left for Lagos in search of a fancy job and greener pastures. He obviously had no idea of what he was going to encounter. Life in Lagos was solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short. Everybody was in a money making frenzy, life was fast paced, the economy was declining, only few had enough; the majority were barely surviving and he was in a haste to make money and develop his village.
Next week, we shall all be seeing how life in Lagos treated Odion and what happened to Odions grandiose dreams. Its a must read for you; Many lessons to be learnt!
. . . . . . . . . The story continues...
Yakin Yesu well done
ReplyDeletesalamualekun black Jesu, Okare!!!
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