17. 2Baba Idibia
He is one of the biggest singer in Africa and is well respected. Recently in an interview he talked about his hungry days.
When you remember the days when you didn’t have money, food or a roof over your head and all that, what comes to your mind?
Back then, we were on the ground already so there was no fear of losing anything so what we were doing was hoping that it will work out. There was no fear of‘what if e no work out. Nothing dey work out already so we no fear whether something no dey work out’. ‘It was ahead-ahead, we go follow this thing up, if e click, fine; if e no click, we go look for another work do’. But for me, I had never ever at any point in my life thought of doing anything else so it was no going back.
This is me, this is my life, this is what I want to do. I never ever dreamt of anything else on my life. So, back then,it was just about doing it to the end.
18. Linda Ikeji – “I Was A Waitress; Sold Beer In Hotel”
Linda had it rough before making it. Today she’s a celebrity blogger. She has built house for her father, but him a car, and bought a home worth over N500,000,000 and cars for herself. She’s now in comfort.
She was admitted to study English Language in the university to her disappointment, but she decided to make the best of it. To support herself and her family through school, Linda began working at the age of 17, doing everything from being a waitress and ushering to modelling and bar-tending, none of which paid a lot in the late 90′s. She started modeling in 1998 and quit in 2005, became a fashion columnist for a struggling celebrity magazine. After two years of toiling in the news room, she quit.
She began her advent into entertainment as a striving model while in UNILAG. She modeled for several brands, including the ‘Rose of Sharon’ label owned by former President of the Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria (FADAN) and Nigerian billionaire and oil tycoon, Folorunsho Alakija.
She took to modeling at only 17 featuring in some of the most glamorous fashion shows in the country. Talk about St Moritz Style Selection, she was there. She has also been to ECOFEST and done several out door advertisements.
She recalls,
“I’d leave lectures, go to a hotel and sell beer from 1 pm till 10 pm. I did this for a few months. It wasn’t easy but I had to survive”.
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