HOW I OVERCAME: I Found A New Life As PoS Operator, Says Igbemune

In his quest for tertiary education, Candid Igbemune, at 19, took his search for sponsorship to some politicians in his country home, who advised him to join their political party.

For three years, his life revolved around these politicians, who never discussed his life ambition with him.

His huge physique soon singled him out for the job of a bodyguard to these politicians, moving with them, providing security and witnessing the privileges that came with political connections. But behind the apparent closeness to power was a life marked by uncertainty, fear and dependence.

Igbemune eventually grew tired of waiting for politicians to determine his future, as each time he discussed securing admission to a state university, it elicited no enthusiasm from his supposed employers.

After three years of serving the party chieftains, he decided to walk away from political patronage and began to build a life on his own.

In an interview, Igbemune said, “I started small, venturing into Point of Sale (PoS) business. It was a modest beginning compared with the political circles I was accustomed to, but it gave me something I had long wanted — control over my own livelihood.

“I stopped following politicians and decided to do something for myself,” he added.

“This action was not without dire consequences. I became a suspect because the politicians I had left taught that I had shifted my loyalty to their opponents. They stopped the little financial assistance that sometimes came with my loyalty to them. But I remained determined to make this new path work,” he said.

With time, the PoS business became more than a means of survival. It represented a new beginning.

For Igbemune, the greatest reward has not simply been earning an income. It is the freedom that comes with knowing that his survival no longer depends on the goodwill of politicians.

He says he no longer lives in fear or waits for “peanuts” from political patrons before meeting his needs.

Looking ahead, Igbemune said, “Now that I can make some savings, I am sure that with time I can self-finance my university education. Since I became a PoS operator, I have discovered other business ventures that require little capital to start. I shall be exploring them because they are things one can do on campus.”

His journey from a politician’s bodyguard to self-employment offers a simple lesson: proximity to power does not necessarily translate into a better life.

Sometimes, the real breakthrough begins when a person stops waiting for someone in power to change his circumstances and starts building his own future.

For Igbemune, walking away from politics did not mean walking away from success. It meant discovering a path where his future is finally in his own hands.