From a torn shirt and one suit, Mayowa J.Ajibodu is now changing lives on a global scale as an author, youth advocate, entrepreneur and member of the Canadian Institute for Conflict Resolution.
"I can still remember the first time I earned money for a job; I was so excited, I couldn’t care less what a teen was expected to do with such a sum, all I knew was that I wanted to take the money home and get something nice for my parents. I grew up with very basic comfort, but I learned to support my family at an early age, and it gave me nothing but absolute joy and opened my eyes to the needs of others. You would be surprised at what another person needs sometimes. As little as a hug, your attention, clothes, shoes, food, direction, guidance and a job with a salary to get them going.
Growing up in Nigeria, it occurred to me that a lot of people were in the same predicament as I was. It had become the norm that fresh graduates from the higher institutions were stranded at home looking for jobs with no hope of finding one anytime soon. The unemployment rate in the country was not helping and I realised that the younger generation was suffering due to lack of the right information and preparation for job hunting. Rather than waiting for a white-collar job we could do something valuable with our time to learn skills and empower ourselves to become creators and entrepreneurs rather than salary earners. This was how Shun Unemployment Foundation (SUF) was birthed.
Armed with the vision to address the pervasive issue of unemployment in Nigeria, The Shun Unemployment Foundation kicked off in February 2016. Through this initiative, our mission was clear and well defined: to empower youths with both the soft and technical skills and resources needed to break free from the cycle of joblessness for FREE. While spearheading SUF, I was also running my media and advertising company, as I have always had passion for public relations. Balancing the two was not child’s play. There were many disasters along the way.
The Torn Shirt
Before I began SUF, I had launched ‘Biz Platform’ in 2013, a magazine dedicated to advertising for businesses on the Lagos mainland. This magazine became very successful, and it was largely generating my income. I was making good money, and I thought I needed to relax and hire more hands. In 2014, I employed two amazing ladies who joined the team to reach out to more clients. Unfortunately, after about three months of commitment from these newly hired staff, it became obvious that I could not pay their salaries. I had exhausted the money I had made on my personal lifestyle. I diverted funds meant for the business on cool shoes and so on.
One Sunday morning, I was high in the spirit leading a worship session when one of the ladies walked into the church and dragged me out. Some of the church members, immediately sensing what was happening, asked that we settle the issue outside the church building. I remember that fateful day; it was like the world was coming to an end. This lady, while trying to explain her part of the story, held me by the neck and tore my favourite white shirt to pieces right in front of the church. At this point, I could not speak; all I could do was weep and plead for my life. I ran into debt because I lacked financial intelligence and structure. It was at that point I realised the journey to being an entrepreneur demands consistency, accountability, transparency, processes, structure, discipline, motivation, vision and leadership. It is easier to fail when you don’t learn the mastery of success.
One Suit
A lady had reached out to me via Facebook during the early stage of Shun Unemployment for Partnership. In one of our usual virtual meetings, she innocently mentioned how terrible it was that I only had one suit (this was the only suit I had then as most of my savings were going into the social projects at SUF) and she asked if I didn't feel ashamed wearing it all the time to my programs? Well, that night, I cried profusely out of shame. Much as I would have wanted a brand-new suit - or a collection of suits - I just couldn’t afford it at that time because my priority was the success of SUF projects. Well, I continued wearing my suit and was eventually blessed with another suit from a friend who gave me his.
Through this journey I have walked miles on roads that would take a regular one-hour car drive. I have spent my savings empowering people when indeed, I was extremely broke!
Overcoming all the odds, today I can proudly say we have trained and empowered over 10,000 Nigerian youths and engaged with over 600 young people across Africa in our mission to reduce the alarming rate of unemployment and help the youths to find purpose and look beyond the limitations of white-collar employment. We have produced initiatives to drive youth creativity, innovation and enterprise through physical and virtual engagements in local communities, tertiary institutions and support programs for teenagers, undergraduates, graduates and the less privileged across Africa such as the CAMPUS TEN (Trained, Empowered and Nurtured), TripleM conference, Vocational training Workshops, Business Seminars, Empowerment and Mentorship Programs. We are currently running the third cohort of Project U-TEN’s free training in Lagos Nigeria covering key areas such as Emotional Intelligence, CV writing, Photography, UI/UX, Digital Marketing, Web Development, Communication and Financial Intelligence.
Dieter F Uchtdorf said, “As we lose ourselves in the service of others, we discover our own lives and our own happiness.” To a very large extent that has been my story. Through service I have found purpose, love and a reason to keep giving. I have been privileged to continue this good work of empowering young people even in my new community here in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada), with the main aim of reducing the rate of social vices and to empower the young with the right set of skills for upward development while providing enabling platforms to project their artistic talents. The Live Initiative is invested in discovering, nurturing, and promoting the artists in the younger generation, that can dance, sing, act, draw or paint, write poetry, helping them to hone their God-given talents and skills by providing free training and empowerment initiatives to create a world of possibilities. With our successful after school Get Coached program, Love-Arts project, Summer Workshops and STAGE, we are making a positive impact and making lives better.
As a graduate of Peace and Conflict Resolution, I have been privileged to learn a lot about history and the reason to advocate for what is genuinely good. From my humble beginnings I have also learnt the value of giving back and the power of information, all of which has shaped my journey and experiences leading me to author books such as “The Adventures of an Unemployed Graduate” and “Dear Youths”.
Life is a beautiful journey filled with small acts and a big heart if you realise it’s not just about you. For me it’s all about driving positive change on a global scale. Transforming lives and fostering a sense of empowerment and resilience no matter the region, geography or socio-economic issues being faced. That’s why SUF still stands today to battle the plague of unemployment in my homeland, that is why I will keep serving the good people of Edmonton and Canada with the Live Initiative and keep pushing to make the world a better place one day at a time."
