Toba

One of the biggest hurdles many entrepreneurs face is dealing with difficult landlords. I learned this the hard way when I left Abuja for Lagos. I had planned to stay only briefly to heal before moving to another city,I didn’t even like Lagos at first. But my drive wouldn’t let me stay idle. I decided to rent a small space and start a car wash business. I was paying ₦40,000 monthly for the space, even though larger spots with better features went for ₦20,000. Still, I trusted my hustle and jumped in. The first smart move I made was hiring Egbon Adugbo, a seasoned car wash operator with over 10 years of experience. By 6:20 a.m. every day, I was already on site, fixing pipes, sweeping the floor, and preparing the pressure pump before the team arrived. His expertise brought in his old customers, and soon we expanded into engine washing and detailing services. I also took the initiative to visit okada riders at their usual gathering spot. I offered them a convenient night service. They could wash their bikes after work, and I’d supply water and soap at an affordable rate. They loved the idea. Within one month, my daily revenue climbed to ₦18,000 minimum on rainy days. One morning, around 5:30 a.m., I got an urgent call for a job. I rushed down, opened up, and had already washed the exterior of three cars by the time my staff arrived. When NEPA took the light, I bought fuel and topped up the generator attached to the property to keep operations running smoothly and avoid disappointing customers. That decision backfired. The landlady saw the generator running and reported it to her husband, the landlord, who happened to be a well-known chief in the Alimosho area. He immediately asked me to leave, despite our six-month agreement. I tried explaining the situation, but he wouldn’t listen. Feeling cornered, I reported the matter at the nearby police station. He was shocked that I had the courage to challenge him. But I was a wounded lion at the time determined to protect the opportunity that was helping me rebuild. After some back and forth, he agreed to refund my rent, and I packed up. Interestingly, he had always wanted to run the car wash himself but couldn’t manage it. After I left, neighbors told me customers stopped coming. Several people reached out, urging me to return. I felt truly appreciated, but I chose not to go back. Given how I had confronted a powerful man in his territory, I didn’t want to risk anything. That experience taught me a valuable lesson. Sometimes it’s not just about building the business, it’s about finding the right partners and landlords who genuinely want to see you succeed. Without that alignment, even the best efforts can be cut short. I’m still moving forward, wiser and more strategic about who I partner with in business.

If those students and teachers are eventually released, they shouldn't be left alone. They need a therapist.

One of my siblings sent me this...

From another perspective.

Life from another perspective.

She confessed that Lavezzi had been giving her husband hints about us. Her husband and his group were into setting people up, collecting money, and blackmailing them with sex tapes. She revealed that Lavezzi and her husband were actually working together in this scheme. She knew every personal thing I had told Lavezzi. She even said Lavezzi wanted her but she refused. My heart sank when she told me her husband already knew I was meeting her that day, information that came from lavezzi. I sat there, scared and helpless. She assured me her husband didn’t know we were in Sagamu and that I shouldn’t worry. My mood completely changed. She tried to cheer me up and asked for another round, but I couldn’t. She teased me, but I thanked her for being honest. She gave me some money before we left. I got back home and went straight to lavezzi’s place. His attitude was cold, he asked where I had been all day. I lied and said I went to visit a friend in Ijebu-ode. That I couldn't go to the woman's place because I don't have tfare but he didn’t buy it. The tension grew. Two days later, I started distancing myself. That became a big issue. Knowing her husband was a cultist, I had to leave the town for my safety. I rented an apartment in a neighbouring town. A few days after I left, Lavezzi’s wife had a fight with the woman, and their friendship ended. The woman started calling me, saying I should forget everything and that she would protect me. I explained it wasn’t safe since lavezzi was my neighbour. I changed my line. My friend began spreading rumours about me. I eventually confessed everything to my mum. She warned lavezzi and his wife seriously. That was when I realised Lavezzi had been envious of me for no reason. I cut ties completely and told my mum I didn’t want them in her compound anymore. That’s how we became enemies. I was even lucky I didn't take the loan from her because since then wise monkey coin haven't recover the price I bought it. And that loan would have kept me in touch with her. I knew I was lucky. Since then, I just calm...

A week later, the woman came to visit Lavezzi’s wife. We exchanged pleasantries. She is beautiful and tall and if we walked side by side, people would think she was my elder sister. While there, she changed and wrapped a towel around herself. I noticed the signals but played innocent (JJC) because I wasn’t the only one in the compound. I continued smoking my blunt and kept my cool. She eventually left. We later exchanged contacts. When I arrived in the village, I had about ₦3 million. I invested ₦2 million in Wise Monkey (MONKY), a newly launched project I had researched thoroughly. I believed it was a solid move. But by January 2025, after Sui pumped to $5, Wise Monkey started crashing like a typical meme coin. I couldn’t average down. By February, I was in serious need of money.I didn’t want to bother my mum, so I decided to handle it myself. I reached out to this woman, intending to borrow some money and later introduce her to crypto. I had been reluctant before because she had four kids and I knew I would soon be traveling. She usually called when her husband wasn’t around and always asked me to text instead of call, saying he was illiterate and hadn’t visited her in a long time. She sold drinks and had properties from her late husband. One day, she invited me to join her in Lagos to buy goods, saying we would spend two days and it was safe. I was broke and didn’t want to go if I couldn’t contribute, so I turned it down. She said, “Iwo lo n’ro, mo ni kin gbe e jaye, o form class fun mi.” meaning I'm the one bothering myself forming class for her. She didn’t force it. As Wise Monkey kept dipping, I finally called her to meet. She was excited. We planned for the next day. She suggested Sagamu because her husband knew too many people in Ikenne. I told Lavezzi I was going to Sagamu, and he agreed to lend me transport money. The next morning, his gate was unusually locked. Something felt off. I left, quickly got a ₦7k Opay loan, bathed, wore a simple basketball jersey and shorts to stay low-key, and headed to Sagamu early to scout the area. When she arrived, we sat in a lounge briefly, then moved to a modest hotel. After settling in, we talked and eventually got intimate. Afterward, I opened up about why I came. I asked to borrow ₦600k for crypto, promising to return it in three months.That was when she dropped the bombshell.

I actually did. My first and only experience with a married woman almost ended in tears. It happened in March 2024 when I visited my mother’s village in Odogbolu. I was very lean and malnourished at the time. My mum wasn’t happy I came, but she understood I had nowhere else to go while waiting for my visa approval. She asked our neighbour to come charge their phones at our place since we had solar power. That was how I met a guy nicknamed lavezzi, a family man with two daughters. He came holding a smoke, so I immediately knew he could help me locate a weed plug. We quickly became close. Through our friendship, I learned a lot about the town, its people, and especially the women. I wasn’t very familiar with my mum’s hometown because we only visited occasionally as children. Lavezzi became my guide. One conversation led to another, and he told me about his wife’s friend, a married woman whose husband wasn’t taking care of her. According to him, she was the one handling everything. He mentioned that he didn’t actually marry her; they had just started living together after meeting. She had four children and was responsible for both him and the kids. Her husband was a popular “Omo Onile” and a well-known Eiye member in the town. He also added that she shared my birthday September 19th. I laughed and said, “Oh, Virgo. Interesting..."

Life is a tale.

@Okeke_Uz Very thoughtful.👏🏾

One of the reasons women do not like their fellow women being their bosses is because they can be hard. A kind of hardness that comes from a place where the woman feels she must constantly prove her authority, especially in a man's space. In the same way, men in leadership tend to soften their approach because they are conscious that their natural assertiveness can easily be read as aggression or abuse towards women in their spaces. So women become more masculine because they are navigating men's spaces, while men try to water down their masculinity so women can feel included. Two people who should be leading from strength, now leading from fear of how they will be seen.

@Okeke_Uz Very sad. That's why I keep saying, Nigerians are the problems. They take advantage of themselves with any given chance they can and it's sad. We shouldn't accept this reality as a great nation we always perceived in our head and mind.

@presciencemode It's really bad. You'd watch a child who came for an event not eat while you guard food to take home...maybe for your own kids too

There was a parent event in my children's school today, so we went. After games, football and all, we were asked to change location for item 7. We all got seated, some parents came with their children and friends. It was a table of 6 arrangement and on my table was a young boy

@jon_d_doe Exactly.

The main reason why most people come online to beg for money to feed, or even offline, is as a result of bad governance & failed policies. So you cannot be a supporter of a govt that put you in that situation, and come to beg someone who is not in support of the govt. End.

@mrbayoa1 Arsenal will win this champions League

This referee is extremely useless, every 50/50 goes to PSG. To the Arsenal army, don’t stop fighting guys, we got this 🙏🙏

@jon_d_doe 😂😂😂 I be Chelsea fan o but na arsenal get this one. My bro na arsenal. I dey root for am.

Mtshewwwwwwwwww.

@jon_d_doe True agba.

When they advise them, they don't listen. Claiming that they want to love men. Any man that you allow to move in with you, is a user & a liability to you. Look at her, she can't be less than 30. The first sign of a serious man is that he must have a roof over his head. End.

I'm not supporting Tinubu by any means but this is the same reason we all clamour for change when Jonathan was the president. We as a people are the ones killing ourselves. We are wicked and rotten. If we decide to kill ourselves because we can't protect ourselves,then fine. So be it.

@Tunnykvng Chelsea fans right now

This is clearly a handball from Saka. How is it not a penalty? x.com/01PDn9Vw3V8140…

@Okeke_Uz True

Some people have the grace to foresee their death but we downplay it and even when it spills out of their mouths, they are not taken seriously. I just wish he made peace with everything during that window period. May he rest in peace.

@the_Lawrenz The guy was born to be successful but awon oloriburuku owner yin ta danu.

How does Havertz always do it. Why did we sell him to Arsenal? God 💔💔

The true meaning of life isn't in chasing the next high or dodging every low. It's in the quiet space between breaths where you finally ask: Why am I really here, and am I becoming the man my scars promised I would be?