Meet Smarty199 // My Introductory Post
My name is Godwin Paul from Ogbadibo Local Government, Benue State Nigeria. My parents moved down to akwanga Nasarawa state some years back in search of greener pasture when I was about a year old. I spent almost all my life in Akwanga. I also attended my primary, secondary and tertiary school there.
Recently my parents moved back to the village due to how difficult and hard things are. My dad is a carpenter who specialize on Upholstery work, while mom is into a petty business fetching her only but little income. I am the first Born of my parents, I have seven siblings, six boys and two girls but unfortunately two boys are gone to be with the Lord.
I have lived the whole of my life striving and fighting to survive, looking at the fact that I am from a poor family and also the first born with a lot of responsibilities looking straight to my eyes. The People looking up to me and the things happening around me instilled fear upon my heart, guess the fear of what tomorrow holds, a fear that I might not really make it, and for that I lost all hope and decided to continue living like the poor person nature has made me to be. But the question is do I deserve that?. No! As long as there is life I know there is definitely going to be hope for me, if others can make it, I know I will as well.
My very main motivation comes from seeing my parent and siblings going to bed hungry, that really kills me deep within and I really can't help but say to myself "this condition must just stop someday". That pushes me to become a hustler, ready to learn and do any kind of work that will fetch money to put food on the table and support the family in any little way possible. I attended the Government Secondary school Ubbe where I grew up, and after my secondary school, I went into hustling, I went to Alimosho, Lagos to live with an aunty, while I was there, I pushed truck to earn a living. I struggled and discovered things aren't going well as I wanted, so I moved back to stay with my grandma where I went to learn tailoring (men's wear).
After that, I came back to akwanga and work under a man in a media track branch office who pays me monthly, and that was when I start saving gradually. I saved some money and was able to register for west African Examination Council (WAEC), National Examination Council (NECO) And Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB). After which I made it through with good grade and got admission into Nasarawa State College Of Education, Akwanga.
I studied Mathematics/Computer, and it wasn't really easy at first because I wasn't really good in mathematics but along the line I fell in love with the course because of the seriousness in my department and by the grace of God today I am an N.C.E (National Certificate in Education) holder.
While still in the College Of Education, hunger and lack of money was one of the major problem I was facing. I know how difficult things are to my parents, so, i chose not to bother them with the matter about my needs, all I asked for is support to pay fees and things needed in the school. I enrolled in a barbing salon in the school to learn, just to be able to get little income for food. It wasn't really easy at all because of the fact that I will rush to shop in the morning and put things in other, then go for lectures, during my break hours I will then return back to shop before going for lectures again and after the lectures go back to the shop before I close for the day. That became my daily routine till I finished learning. I can still remember how hectic it was, atimes the moment I reach home I feel like I had a fight with a gorilla.
After I finish learning as an apprentice there, I beg my master to allow me work with him so I can be able to feed and support myself, he accepted and I was happy because it went as I planned from the start. I started working with him and any amount I make, at the end of the day he will divide it into three part and give me one share. That's to say, one for me, one for him and the other for the shop maintenance...
Some days, I will have to use the weekends and meet my neighbors to give me their loose clothes to amend for them, not as if I had a sewing machine but because I had to survive, I will beg for their children school uniforms promising them I will sew it in a very cheap rate and will go to people around who has sewing machine and beg them to allow me, sometimes I will even be asked to pay for renting, that was how I continue till I finished college of education.
Along the line I discover I know how to act funny, so I got myself a portable android phone, I use it to make comedy skit, and gradually learn to edit videos myself, so I make videos and edit them using my little android phone. At first I was shooting alone but gradually some other youths loved it and asked to join, I gladly accepted them and we are doing very good together. I have still been up and down fighting to get work or something doing that will fetch me income I can use to take care of my parents and my beloved siblings.
My friends told me about how I can use my talents and skills on Hive, I enjoyed their testimonies and buy to the idea. By the grace of God I want to use my comic skills to put smiles on people's faces here , i will also be sharing some of my fashion designs. I am also into music so I will be singing and writing both motivational and inspirational articles. I look forward to build and develop myself even as I contribute to this platform.
I appreciate my good friend 