He raiseth up the poor out of the dust,
and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to
make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the
Lord's, and he hath set the world upon them. 1 Samuel 2:8
IN just two weeks, she has
soared above her painfully obscure background. Her fortunes have changed. From
a bread seller on the streets of Lagos to a model. She is now set to mount the
rostrum on February 20 at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja. As a motivational speaker,
she will talk on the theme “ If we were the government .”
In local parlance, God has
picked up and answered the call of Jumoke Orisaguma. Fast-rising afro-pop artiste
and Orente crooner, Adekunle Gold, last December dropped a new song, titled
Pick Up, which has become an instant hit and upstaged Korede Bello’s I Don Get
Alert, Godwin. Pick Up, which is rendered in Yoruba, is a prayer asking for
God’s blessings. Modeled after a telephone call, the musician in the song
implores God to ‘pick up’ and answer his call.
Since Jumoke got her ‘pick up’,
her life has never remained the same. The mother of two is now the face of
online shopping brand, Payporte and Stanbic IBTC Bank. Jumoke is also the proud
owner of a luxury apartment in Lagos. These days, people no longer pray for
daily bread, they want to hit the streets to ‘sell’ the proverbial bread.
The latest model whose full
first name, Olajumoke, is affectionately shortened to Jumoke has now joined
popular on-air personalities, Toke Makinwa and former Big Brother Africa first
runner-up, Tayo Faniran, as fellow brand ambassadors of Payporte.
Stanbic IBTC was also quick when
it used her image in one of its adverts, which went viral on the Internet on
Monday, cementing her place as a model to be reckoned with in the country.
Basking in the glow of her new
fame, Jumoke is also enjoying massive media exposure locally and globally, the
latest coming from international news network, Cable News Network (CNN.)
Her story has become an
inspiration to all categories of people with little means of income, especially
every tall, model-looking bread seller out there, hanging on the statement that
someday luck might smile on them.
It’s a classic case of being in
the right place at the right time. A young street seller oblivious to the scene
ahead, her wares perched atop her head, photo-bombed a shoot and in that split
second her life changed forever.
Originally a hairstylist from
Osun State, she was struggling to make ends meet, and left her husband and two
children in their home town to become a street vendor in Lagos. Renowned
photographer, TY Bello, was behind the change in Jumoke’s fortunes.
TY Bello was photographing UK
pop star, Tinie Tempah, when Jumoke walked into the shoot.
“She seemed a little confused,”
said Bello. “Some people were asking her to walk past really quickly, others
were asking her to stay, and she was just in limbo. I said ‘is it okay to take
your photograph?’ And she nodded ok.”
A teary-eyed Jumoke said she
never expected her fortunes to turn around like this. “I never expected that
this could ever happen to me. My friends have told me they saw me on TV and
they are really happy. My parents cannot believe their own child can become
such a success. They are all so happy,” she said.
However, Ayo Shonaiya, a TV
producer, lawyer and music talent agent, has expressed his fears for the former
Agege bread seller. Sharing his opinion on his Facebook page yesterday, he noted
that at the risk of sounding like a hater, he is genuinely nervous about the
amazing story of Jumoke.
“This type of story gladdens
everyone’s heart and serves as inspiration to millions of people, but I can’t
help but look beyond the fairytale and feel a sense of apprehension at the same
time. In my line of work, my job is to look where no one else is looking when
it comes to negotiating contracts, maximising earning potential for talent, and
pretty much protect such talent, and I pray to God there’s someone doing that
for this girl.
“When I saw that this Olajumoke
girl couldn’t even speak or read English, my first concern was she’s going to
be bewildered by a lot of things, especially in the fashion and modeling world
in Nigeria. The sudden fame and spotlight, even often times confuse
‘experienced’ talents. I really do hope and pray that, whatever happens to
Olajumoke from now on, she is well protected. The fashion and modeling industry
can be the worst place you wanna be when ‘they’ decide you’re no longer
happening or trending, or worse, not useful anymore,” he stated.
Also, popular fashion designer
and CEO of Ouch! Clothing, Uche Nnaji, has taken to Instagram to write an open
letter to Nigerian banks as they struggle to use Jumoke as the face of their brands,
to forget about the mad rush for her endorsement and rather help grow small
businesses.
“I am still excited and happy
that TY Bello allowed God use her to turn around the captivity (circumstance)
of Olajumoke, but I am shocked at the sudden awareness by corporate bodies to
jump on the bandwagon to celebrate her with all sorts of ‘gifts’ from
apartments to endorsements, as if this act has or will take away all the other
million Jumokes on our streets searching and waiting for their own TY Bello.
“The shocker for me is seeing a Nigerian
bank rushing to make Olajumoke a brand ambassador when they would not move an
inch to save a dying Nigerian. This action has further shown that most banks
seldom grasp their role in growing the economy. Olajumoke is one individual,
but a business or an idea the Nigerian bank supports or celebrate can become a
new Facebook or Dangote, which would create jobs and feed families,” she wrote.
By Tope Olaiya
