A visit to Odonla, one of the many villages spread out along the long Atlantic coastal line of Ilaje, Ondo state with a combined projected population of over 391,200 people in an area of about 1,357km2, will certainly open your eyes wider to the untold realities of the dwellers of such riverine community.

Expectedly, fishing is their major economic preoccupation & related activities to such can be seen ongoing as far as your eyes can take your curiorisity. Do not bother to think about gifting these passionate locals a car, they might not really appreciate it; not because they are ungrateful people by nature but the fact is glaring - cars can't move on water. Both the old, young & even the females could be seen paddling their canoes of different sizes for different purposes.

Soon as you get on a boat for a ride into the riverine community, the sight of filling stations elevated slightly above the water tide would surely fascinate you. Churches, schools, bars & guest houses are also not far-fetched. You're used to hawkers on the land right? They aren't shy of such means of moving their wares & supplies too like Bread, Satchet Water, Bean Cake, fishes etc from one place to another in search of willing buyers. Potable water is very scarce, since the water they live on is already polluted by oil spillage. They buy a satchet of water as high as N40 depending on how cold it is needed. They travel for a long distance in search of usable water on slim canoes which are at the mercy of the water torrent depending on whether it would be gentle on a fateful day or rather turbulent.

Suprisingly, you cannot take anything away from them when it comes to enterpreneurship skills & a resillient spirit against the background of their seemingly "harsh" environment. One of their beloved sons, Orioye Benedict Gbayisemore, even won a National MSME Award, an initiative from the Office of the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo. He was gifted a brand new car & a cheque of five hundred thousand naira.

The Village to Villa success story of Orioye Benedict, a young fisherman from such remote riverine area is a living testimony that the Nigerian youth can still strive to emulate even in the murky and hopeless situations of life!

Watch the full video via this link:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS1BtnNMEyM

Yorubas would say "If you go farther into the forests, you would see hunch-back squirrels". I've seen that video & for the first time i saw how crayfish is being harvested & prepared.
How can people be hawking wares on water? This life no balance! And the guy even won an MSME Award, an initiative from the Office of Prof Osinbajo

This is MSME Success story. Benedict Orioye benefited from MSME Award 2020 and moved from Village to villa

A clear success story of Orioye, an Msme winner who’s story should be a source of motivation to the youth.

This is what we call from grass to Grace, thank You My VP Osinbsjo for your great work MSMEs programm.

Good one

I am particularly amazed that how can they live on water and have none to drink, and how can he win an MSMEAward with such conditions, wow I'm impressed.
Thank you Prof Osinbajo

What an irony.

This is a story every aspiring entrepreneur should follow. Wonderful!

This is so inspiring, heart warming and breathtaking. This is a challenge for others who have little or no hope in the system that the sky ensures there’s a silver lining in every dark cloud. Mr Orioye's life is a pointer that even in a difficult situation, there is always a shred of opportunity.

Read about this village and how they have been surviving. This guy that won the MSMEs award few month ago really made the village more popular

Orioye success story is an interesting one.

The people of Ilaje did not allow their background to put their back on the ground

Necessity is the mother of invention.

Orioye's story is indeed an inspiring story of breaking limitations regardless of how strong it is.

This is necessary for the upcoming entrepreneur should follow.

Kia! this guy has really changing the story of his village

checking

The guy tried, kudos to him.

They buy a satchet of water as high as N40

Say WHAT!
WE refuse to believe this!!

Deborah98:
better believe it,

It's unbelievable!
But, that doesn't mean it is not possible tho'.....

Dx life no balance atall

Vbg

Gd

Hmm

No time to read

The headline brief me a little

That's how God is, God exists but it's only those who believe that knows how to acknowledge him
~As for me and my family; we'll serve the living God

I believe that they've accepted the fact that there's no change in sight. However it is risky because once there is heavy downpour, it make destroy most of those houses. Well it is well indeed.