Arts and Life
Onyinye “De Card Guy”!
By Dr jarlath Uche Opara
As things change they remain the same. Nothing is cast in stone and in the circle of life we all revolve, making nothing look new under the sun.
Before the year 2000 GSM was like a mystery, looking back now it amazes anybody how we were able to flow seamlessly in communication.
The early part of GSM network in Nigeria was a huge market just like POS is now.
This guy Onyinye which in this piece is addressed as Onyinye “De card guy” was on top of his game. He was everywhere with his Zubaro sports car. Had close to four call centres at a time, employed people who made calls for him and at the same time sold network recharge cards.
Apart from these call centres that were on daily basis raking in money for him, he had other construction sites he was scouting for supplies of sharp sand, chippings, stones, gravel etc. At Mpape Crush Rock then. A true definition of who a true Nigerian hustler was at that time. I may not go into details of who he truly was behind the scene ,but what was very striking about him was his sense of hardwork and predilection for youthful risky behaviour.
He combined the two so well, none negatively overlapped they other. A good time bad innocent boy, who lived out unrestrained his youthful age with swag that made him the toast of the moment especially for those at the other side of his gender.
One day I woke up with the news that he has traveled. If it was now, one would have said he Japaed. I have not seen Onyinye De card guy since he left the shores neither have I spoken with him, going by the type of person he was before he travelled , I can bet with every sense of assurance that he is pretty doing well.
He had the muscles, he equally had the mind to create wealth seamlessly then.
Why did I remember him now with deep passion after many years of not being in touch? The POS centres! As POS centres are littered now providing mini jobs for the teeming unemployed youths so were call centres and selling of network recharge cards at a time and many used it to eke out a living.
What next after POS? There could still be something that would bridge the gap for the unemployed youths. POS would get phased out eventually. It wouldn’t be as profoundly attractive as it is bussiness wise. Its attractiveness is gradually waning. When it started newly it was a bomb, raking Inn money for those who got its business angle quite early.
Though it is at its bastardization phase as call centres then were, many are still getting into it with a mindset of “better have something doing that cross ones legs and folds ones arms looking for urgent 2k”
If Onyinye De card guy had remained in Nigeria with such a smart hustling sense, he would have probably become enterprisingly flourishing in the communication sector, of course he would be one of the early beneficiaries of the POS mega money spinning opportunity then.
Nigeria, as bad as it seems, very disjointedly economically with a lot of harsh and hard economic situations, still has a lot one can do to make one very comfortable amidst the thorns and spikes of hard economy.
Then many unemployed graduates were obsessed with white collar jobs which of course could be counted on their fingers, Onyinye De card guy was living comfortably, not begging anyone any urgent 2k.
Nigeria is a gold spot centres. Sadly, not everyone has this gold binoculars eyes to differentiate the gold from the mere pebbles. God blesses ones soul if one is endowed with such a binocular gold identification eyes like Onyinye De card guy, Japa would be in the least of ones consideration.
As Naira is daily hitting low against dollar, those with such a gold binocular eyes are busy picking it and making Nigeria either their destination point or a place of haven.
I wished Onyinye De card guy didn’t leave the shores, I thump my chest, he would have become a multi millionaire, his street wise bussiness sense is very productively Nigeria brand.
You reading me may be that Onyinye De card guy! Naturally endowed with such a gold binocular identification eyes (GBIE) Only those with such eyes can make cool and clean money in Nigeria without dents and stink. They are legion! Not those driven by Yahoo plus, whose greed for money, fame and influence have turned them into animals with no conscience, doing things to make money even the devil gets amazed and marvelled at such nor am I talking about the numerous government officials who equally have lost conscience, stealing and making the economy bleed to pad their greed. I am rather talking about Onyinye De card guy!
Dr. Jarlath Uche Opara Jarlathuche@gmail.com