SIXTY-FIVE-year-old Michael Adeyanju is just like most other parents who work hard to fend for their families. He started his upholstery business 41 years ago in Ilorin, Kwara State.
Although he has used the little money he made in the business to educate his children up to university level, his financial condition has not improved. He wants one of his children who graduated with a First Class to leave his teaching appointment for politics. He believes politics pays better than teaching.
The Ondo State-born man said he moved to Ilorin from Ondo State with his family after he was unable to secure a place to begin his business back home in the 1980s.
He told Saturday Tribune on Tuesday in Ilorin that he had maintained the same shop for the 41 years he had been doing the business.
“I’m 65-years old; and an indigene of Ondo State. I started this upholstery business in 1982, I make bags, sew leather seat for motorcycles, make adjustments on bags and other stuffs related to upholstery. I initially wanted to start the business in Ondo State, Lokoja area but it didn’t work.
“The shop I wanted to rent was rented out to someone else around there, because he had more money than I had. The man had a shop around that place already. So, I decided to move to Ilorin and settle with my family and secure a shop to operate my business and ever since then I started the business in Ojuekun junction, here in Ilorin, I have never changed shop since then,” he said.
He said he had the firm believe that things would get better someday as long as he did not give up.
He said through the proceeds of the business, three of his children had graduated from the university, one of whom is a First Class graduate.
“There are times I would make sales and sometimes I won’t make anything at all and it is this same money I use to feed myself and family. Imagine, sometimes there won’t be market and we must have used all the money we have at hand to eat.
“I thank God for life, it is still the same money that I use to feed and send my children to school. Sometimes I won’t have any money at hand but I still find every possible means to feed my family. I have seen a lot but I give glory to God, three of my children are now university graduates.
“Two are done with youth service and one is still serving. My first child finished with a First Class degree in Purchasing and Supply from the University of Ibadan in 2015,” he said.
Adeyanju said though that his son has a teaching job now, “it is not good enough” considering his class of degree. He said he had encouraged the son to return home (Ondo State) to join politics and earn very good pay.
“Though my son is currently working as a teacher, it is not enough with the kind of result he has. It took him time before he could secure that teaching job. I always advise him to return home and go into politics and contest for a position and maybe that will help us out of here,” Adeyanju told Saturday Tribune but said the boy had not agreed with him.
Just as life comes with different challenges, Adeyanju has had a fair share of life’s ups and downs. He recounted how he lost his first child and later his wife but, however, chose not to give up.
“I have encountered many challenges right from when I started this business. It has not been easy. One I recall was the loss of my first child; it is not easy to lose a child. Years later, I also lost my wife along the line but I didn’t give up.
“I always believe everything will work better one day. Imagine some people killing themselves because things aren’t going well, take a look at the naira scarcity period, someone set himself ablaze all because of the scarcity. So many other similar stories like this abound but it’s not worth taking one’s life, things will get better eventually.”
He said though the business is not stable, he still thanked God because it’s out of the business that he took care of himself and his family.
He revealed that he had long to diversify from the current business, he will however retire if his children ask him to as long as they would have enough money to cater for the needs of the family.
“If my children tell me not to work again, it is not an issue, as far as there is enough money to cater for our needs but I have always wished to have enough funds to expand my business. It is what I have always wanted but there hasn’t been such opportunity of getting enough funds,” he said.
“It’s my desire to start selling mattresses and other materials of what I am currently doing. I feel if I do that my business will grow well,” he said.
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