I Used To Trek From Ikoyi To Lekki In Search Of Work — Survived On N18,500 A Month -Ola of Lagos

Waris Akinwande Olayinka, the Nigerian car influencer better known as Ola of Lagos, has recalled the struggles he faced in his early years, including surviving on a monthly salary of N18,500.

In a recent interview with Key to Keys Podcast, Ola of Lagos said his salary was barely enough to take care of himself and his family, forcing him to take on side jobs to make ends meet.

The car reviewer said he did laundry, washed clothes, cleaned houses, scrubbed floors and washed cars for wealthy residents in Ikoyi and Lekki. He also recalled trekking from Ikoyi to Lekki in search of people who could offer him work.

“So I’m like, okay, let me look for a side hustle, and I used to trek then from Ikoyi actually to Lekki, you know, looking for big men and big women to talk to and like, sir, ma, I can actually clean your house,” he said.

Akinwande said he left his hometown for Lagos because he wanted to change the financial situation of his family, despite not having anyone in the city to depend on.

“I need to make it out of my family. I’m not sure anybody else has really rise from my family. Yeah, so I’m like, no, no, no, I have to change this whole story,” he said.

“Then I left home, my hometown. I left there to come to Lagos to come and seek greener pastures. Mind you, I don’t have anybody here.”

He also disclosed that he once slept under a Lagos bridge during his difficult period.

Akinwande said his love for Lagos later inspired the name Ola of Lagos after he came across the Lekki Bridge while trekking to Lekki.

“So when I used to walk from Ikoyi to Lekki, one day I was walking, and I saw this Lekki Bridge, and I’m like, oh, I love Lagos, Ola of Lagos. So that is how the name Ola of Lagos came up.” he said.

He said his journey into car spotting also started from his passion for luxury vehicles rather than a deliberate plan to become a content creator.

Source: The Cable

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