My childhood was fun and a very busy one. I did a lot of work/sales with my Ma! Toughest woman I have ever known. She made me realize the human body is always at your command. It falls sick when you urge it to, it feels strong when you urge it to!


I sold banana for more than 18 years, When I started selling banana I was 5. I didn’t even know money, I got cheated on several times until my Ma started counting stones and put it close to each banana for me to know the exact amount. 10 naira banana, She will put 10 stones close to it and use a stick to demarcate it so that it doesn’t mix with the others!


I also pushed wheel burrow in the market! When Ma sends me to the market to pack her goods and bring it home, I’ll do a quickie side hustle to raise 20 naira to 50 naira. There was this day I helped one woman pack her loads, I got lost on the way, (they will direct you to their house and while they follow you but because they are old, they are not able to catch up with your pace, they get really far behind and even out of sight. I had to locate anywhere and dropped the woman’s goods there because I couldn’t locate the house She directed me to. I hurried back home. I did not know the woman knows where I stay because my Ma’s name was boldly written on the wheel burrow. 8pm while I and Ma were eating dinner, this woman showed up our gate to ask me where’s her goods! I nearly ran away. I had to leave the food I was eating and took her to where I dropped it! Ma dealt with me that night.


Ma used to buy a full loaded pickup truck of palm kernel and we process it to palm oil. It was not an easy task. I would wake up every 5am to use mortar to pound one big village pot of palm kernel! The first step is to cook the palm kernel with a big pot. We called the pot “Egele” After cooking, I’ll have to pound 6 to 7 times before getting ready for school. This usually takes more than two hours to finish pounding. Sometimes I abandon it and get ready for school to continue when I return.


My job was to pound it while my Ma does the rest of the oil processing job. 7am I’m off to school. Over several years I got tired of pounding the palm kernel because it was really stressful, Ma had to locate a palm kernel processing factory. It even became harder for me! I’ll wake up in the morning at 4 or 5am and push a full wheel burrow of palm kernel to the factory with my torch light hanging in my mouth, after grinding at the factory, I’ll push it back home which is almost 40min walk but I do spend close to 2 hours because I needed to stop and rest in between.


Then we had a room we called “Ekowa ivin” (palm kernel room). This is where we store the palm nuts After drying them in the sun over several months. I’ll start breaking them with stones to bring out the palm nut, one full rubber paint of palm nut was 250 naira. Getting the rubber paint to full takes 2 weeks to 1 month depending on how consistent I was.


After some years, Ma ventured into another business of cassava processing! I will follow the pick up truck into the bush and join the other hired laborers to uproot the cassava, load them into the truck and bring it to the house to start peeling, after peeling, I push a loaded wheel burrow to the processing factory to grind it, After grinding I’ll mix with red oil and put it inside a sack and come back for it the next day after they must have pressed all the water out of the sack with a machine set up called “Jack”


It doesn’t end there, we’ll break the lumps into smaller pieces and sieve it with a locally made sieve. My Ma fries the garri at night! No sleeping! She was very smart! For me not to fall asleep, she’ll give me a kerosene hand lamp to hold for her while She fries the garri till 2 to 3am! I hold this lamp while standing. If I dare tries to close my eyes while holding the lamp, I get woken up with a resounding slap. My ear will ring for some minutes, my eyes will become clearer. There was a day I drifted off and the lamp fell from my hand right into the garri She was frying, it mixed with kerosene!


I also sold fufu with a wheel burrow! From the same cassava processing but different method!

You know the funniest thing. We did not lack anything even if She didn’t do all these, but She always wanted to get herself and everyone busy with something. She’ll always say a woman cannot sit and do nothing!

Sorry I had to laugh at some parts but you really have to appreciate her for installing the spirit of hard work in you.

OP you're a genius, I wonder why you haven't been appointed as the minister of Labour and Employment.


I didn't even do quarter of all that hustle so let me just keep quiet when a legendary hustler like you is talking.....What I did was to sit in the shop and sell, that's all.

Sleep, wake up, wash plate, eat food and play war start etc.. Op you're a legend

This brought back memories.
Mine was to go to Fulani residential area to get fresh milk from them, a paint of bucket and, sometimes with 25ltr of keg. Because we were into yogurt making.

The road to our house then was quite busy, when I put the bucket on my head, to cross the road becomes a problem, I would look right, left, when u see the left is clear and want to take a glimpse at the right, u would see plenty vehicles again.

You can't easily turn your neck around bcuz of the weight of the bucket, I started watching the movement of those that might want to cross like me, I move when I c dem move too.

The making was another stressful one bcuz of the process involved, my mama can wake u midnight just to go and bring out the churn for packaging......

Poultry farm, making of soda soap was another stress too.
All I can say is that, our mothers of those days just don't like being lazy, they could hire people then to do these jobs but, no way. They prefer to use their kids.

My pain then was seeing any of my school mate nicely dressed while I'm on a shabby clothes stained with dirt from the poultry farm during the cleaning.
There was no way I could hide from my classmates, sometimes I would see them in the sawmill where we normally pack sawdust.......

Op you be manny! As for me, am d only son and I have five sisters so I Didn't really do much. I washed dad's car, I Followed dad to watch football, I Fetched water. I also sold food in my mum's restaurant. I had alot of time to play while the 5 bannies worked their as*es out. Lol...

I've always been good at House cleaning /decor.
I started keeping the house sparkling from 9/10 so it officially became my work at home.

I had elder siblings but my mum won't let any of them clean or they clean and I have to redo it.
3 bedroom , a kitchen,sitting room, veranda, staircase .Scrubbing pots , washing plenty plates .

Till now, nobody can clean my space to my satisfaction.

Later on ,I started assisting my mom teach some of her home lesson pupils. I'm good with kids

One time too ,I had to work for my mom as her sales girl...this woman said "she was helping me save my salaries " ,time to collect the money, she said I should calculate everything I always buy and eat at the store and "balance her" .Na so I vex 'resign' that day,went to teach at a Nursery/Primary school.
She said I should start paying tax from my salary .
Pay you tax for my papa house? I sha bought her one sandals when I was paid.

One other time ;The Laundry woman that was coming on Saturday mornings travelled , so she "employed" me with a deposit of 2k or so ,I suffer wash for weeks , time to pay me , mama want use same format for me .I vex 'sieze' some of her expensive wrappers till my father intervened and paid me without her knowledge.

I remember when we were still building family house, this woman refused to pay project supervisor. I just wrote Ssce and was awaiting Admission, na so I turn 'Supervisor' and was helping fetch water at the site , no be person tell me to call my papa(He was in the military and in another station/state) report her after four days .The man "banned " me from going there until it was time for us to move in.
She no gree pay me , me ,I paid myself from her bag one midnight(A k a Onyeoshi).

Na so me and my mama 'partnership 'take end.

Did the dishes for years until I revolted. (Hated doing the dishes).

Cooked for the whole family.

Swept the whole House.

Fetched water from community tap anytime the pressure was too low to bring water upstairs.

Bathe younger ones and looked after them whenever momsy was not around.

Tied headgears for momsy on her meeting days.

Ran errands for both parents like craze.

Grew up in the family trading business that my mom owned.
Typical igbo trading family ,all hands on deck things as the work plenty,mom was a very big trader(market boy levels).
Well,from primary school,you come market direct with your uniform,school closes by 2 pm ,so by 2.30pm you suppose don reach shop otherwise you collect lashing from mama herself ,all clothes off!
I did everything ,mostly around controlling the offloading of truckload of goods in different warehouses and counting them after offloading to make sure they are complete like the invoice says and also make sure all those offloaders no tiff My mama goods.I could do this by the time I was 9yrs old without any mistake.
If you dare steal,I no go confront you,I go just be playing with you like nothing happened and report you when you come main shop for your pay so my mama go jail your ass The way they always do puppy dog face when caught in thieving tragedy dey always funny,especially front of police weh carry cane
E get one old man weh follow for offloaders weh I been like,so e dey always beg me for stuff since e know say he can't steal under my watch ,so I let him take small thing one day and e turn am to habit.
That guy dey use one thing weh be like funnel burst bag of rice commot like half bucket then seal am back
Na when the retailing market women that buy things like this from us come dey complain say them no dey see their gain weh I warn am say make him stop.
Then also knew very well how to open a lot of stuff ,consume them a bit and close them back without breaking the seal in warehouses and people will still come and buy them at full price
Did a lot of supplies to faraway customers and oversee supply of other branches of the business in different towns,so this made me learn how to drive very early,about 12 years old.
Started driving trucks of the business before cars,all these metallic container trucks,mostly Dyna ,Canter and Hino.I could do these ones well,but pushed My luck one day to deliver large volume of bakery stuff to one bakery with a 25tonne big truck,Mercedes benz Actros 3340,MP I.
Them don load stuff for supply,person to drive no dey as everyone dey busy,rain was too heavy and that container dey leak,so if you don't get the truck moving water will make its way and cake the flour inside.
So I decided to move it myself rather than wait for the driver to arrive when we don't know when,
I thought I could do it,I did it sha until e reach when to enter that bakery compound with reverse to offload
Anyways,big container block me,I no dey see back well,couple with heavy rain,so i no hear when the offloaders for ground dey shout cut your hand,cut your hand,
Na so I use that big truck fall the man fence ooo and one back tire fall inside gutter,scatter the gutter join.
Truck bend finish like say e go fall reach ground kukuma level the fence,thank god for rear balloons system.
We payed for the damages ,truck didn't spoil sha and the heavily tilted,stationary truck come make water rush into the truck wella and caked up to 43 bags of 50kg flour,i got banned from driving any of those vehicles and my brother almost kill me.
I was 16years old.
Can't list all so it don't get too boring,but I was brought up very well in trading and was thought the concept of work,principle,how to outsmart competition and reward very early ,it helped me a lot in my life I won't lie.
But market boy has it downsides,all the sweet sweet ajebo smallie them for school weh I be dey like to convince them to press their beast then go follow their mama come market on Saturday to come buy groceries and food item,them go come see seatrade for market dey sweat and dirty like cow,the thing be dey pain me die
If I see them early I go run enter shop hide till them go,some I no go see na them go come tap me for back to greet,their mama go come ask them how them take know me before them go say we dey same class and they will be shocked cos they don't expect people like me to school for the kind place weh their daughters thrm dey,not knowing say I dey even press their beast inside class for free period
I don commot abeg

poshestmina:
I've always been good at House cleaning /decor.
I started keeping the house sparkling from 9/10 so it officially became my work at home.

I had elder siblings but my mum won't let any of them clean or they clean and I have to redo it.
3 bedroom , a kitchen,sitting room, veranda, staircase .Scrubbing pots , washing plenty plates .

Till now, nobody can clean my space to my satisfaction.

Later on ,I started assisting my mom teach some of her home lesson pupils. I'm good with kids

One time too ,I had to work for my mom as her sales girl...this woman said "she was helping me save my salaries " ,time to collect the money, she said I should calculate everything I always buy and eat at the store and "balance her" .Na so I vex 'resign' that day,went to teach at a Nursery/Primary school.
She said I should start paying tax from my salary .
Pay you tax for my papa house? I sha bought her one sandals when I was paid.

One other time ;The Laundry woman that was coming on Saturday mornings travelled , so she "employed" me with a deposit of 2k or so ,I suffer wash for weeks , time to pay me , mama want use same format for me .I vex 'sieze' some of her expensive wrappers till my father intervened and paid me without her knowledge.

I remember when we were still building family house, this woman refused to pay project supervisor. I just wrote Ssce and was awaiting Admission, na so I turn 'Supervisor' and was helping fetch water at the site , no be person tell me to call my papa(He was in the military and in another station/state) report her after four days .The man "banned " me from going there until it was time for us to move in.
She no gree pay me , me ,I paid myself from her bag one midnight(A k a Onyeoshi).

Na so me and my mama 'partnership 'take end.

Lolz, what a wonderful relationship, hopefully she is still alive.

SeaTrade:
Grew up in the family trading business that my mom owned.
Typical igbo trading family ,all hands on deck things as the work plenty,mom was a very big trader(market boy levels).
Well,from primary school,you come market direct with your uniform,school closes by 2 pm ,so by 2.30pm you suppose don reach shop otherwise you collect lashing from mama herself ,all clothes off!
I did everything ,mostly around controlling the offloading of truckload of goods in different warehouses and counting them after offloading to make sure they are complete like the invoice says and also make sure all those offloaders no tiff My mama goods.I could do this by the time I was 9yrs old without any mistake.
If you dare steal,I no go confront you,I go just be playing with you like nothing happened and report you when you come main shop for your pay so my mama go jail your ass The way they always do puppy dog face when caught in thieving tragedy dey always funny,especially front of police weh carry cane
E get one old man weh follow for offloaders weh I been like,so e dey always beg me for stuff since e know say he can't steal under my watch ,so I let him take small thing one day and e turn am to habit.
That guy dey use one thing weh be like funnel burst bag of rice commot like half bucket then seal am back
Na when the retailing market women that buy things like this from us come dey complain say them no dey see their gain weh I warn am say make him stop.
Then also knew very well how to open a lot of stuff ,consume them a bit and close them back without breaking the seal in warehouses and people will still come and buy them at full price
Did a lot of supplies to faraway customers and oversee supply of other branches of the business in different towns,so this made me learn how to drive very early,about 12 years old.
Started driving trucks of the business before cars,all these metallic container trucks,mostly Dyna ,Canter and Hino.I could do these ones well,but pushed My luck one day to deliver large volume of bakery stuff to one bakery with a 25tonne big truck,Mercedes benz Actros 3340,MP I.
Them don load stuff for supply,person to drive no dey as everyone dey busy,rain was too heavy and that container dey leak,so if you don't get the truck moving water will make its way and cake the flour inside.
So I decided to move it myself rather than wait for the driver to arrive when we don't know when,
I thought I could do it,I did it sha until e reach when to enter that bakery compound with reverse to offload
Anyways,big container block me,I no dey see back well,couple with heavy rain,so i no hear when the offloaders for ground dey shout cut your hand,cut your hand,
Na so I use that big truck fall the man fence ooo and one back tire fall inside gutter,scatter the gutter join.
Truck bend finish like say e go fall reach ground kukuma level the fence,thank god for rear balloons system.
We payed for the damages ,truck didn't spoil sha and the heavily tilted,stationary truck come make water rush into the truck wella and caked up to 43 bags of 50kg flour,i got banned from driving any of those vehicles and my brother almost kill me.
I was 16years old.
Can't list all so it don't get too boring,but I was brought up very well in trading and was thought the concept of work,principle,how to outsmart competition and reward very early ,it helped me a lot in my life I won't lie.
But market boy has it downsides,all the sweet sweet ajebo smallie them for school weh I be dey like to convince them to press their beast then go follow their mama come market on Saturday to come buy groceries and food item,them go come see seatrade for market dey sweat and dirty like cow,the thing be dey pain me die
If I see them early I go run enter shop hide till them go,some I no go see na them go come tap me for back to greet,their mama go come ask them how them take know me before them go say we dey same class and they will be shocked cos they don't expect people like me to school for the kind place weh their daughters thrm dey,not knowing say I dey even press their beast inside class for free period
I don commot abeg

Probably Nwaotu or Mailman.

I used to go Dad's office when I was in primary school, but when I got to secondary school, dad made sure I started earning my own income myself. Though it was a weekend job but during holidays, I am the one in charge of office.

As for mum, She has a store where I normally helped her once Sunday in a month cos that's when the Elite club of big men would have their meetings.. Opportunity to make income apart from the money mum would give me

It's actually helpful to be introduced to ways to make money at early age

Crowwejihadist:


Lolz, what a wonderful relationship, hopefully she is still alive.

Yes, she is.
Thanks.