Diary Of a Naija Christian Girl

Episode 2:

Let me tell you a little about myself; I was born into a family of six, my Dad, Mum and three other siblings asides myself.

I am the first of four children. 

Born to a Ghanaian Dad (Anan Agyenim) from Takoradi in Ghana and a Nigerian Mum (Morenikeji Adeyanju) from Elekuro in Ibadan Oyo state Nigeria. 

My Dad hailed from a wealthy Ghanaian family, the Agyenim family of Takoradi. Fortune smiled on them when gold was discovered at their farm land in kumasi. My grandfather was a textile merchant who majored in import and export of Kente(Ghanaian traditional fabric) gold accessories,Nigerian attires (Adire and aso-oke) between the British West African countries and some Francophone Countries nearby. 

My Dad is the fourth son of ten children born to his father by three different women, his Mum being the last and favourite wife. She was close to him and at such went with him on most of his business trips(more like his personal handbag)

 My dad had his early education in Ghana and relocated to Lagos with his Mum right after finishing his college education. His Father was late at the time and his mother having gotten her share of his wealth, left for Nigeria to begin her own textile business in Balogun Market Lagos. At this time she had gotten acquainted with the fabric sellers in Lagos island market who promised to show her more about the business should she ever decide to go into it someday. 

So here she was Nana Emilian as she was fondly called, with her four children venturing into the wild in search of greener pastures in an unfamiliar terrain ans culture with nothing but a fat stash of liquidated inheritance and a pocket full of hope for a better tomorrow.

She got to Lagos and settled in almost quickly. Luck smiled on her and she soon secured a store in Idumota where she sold Kente. They all knew her as Mama Ghana who came bearing gifts whenever she visited. The Yoruba women around her did everything humanly possible to empower her as she was only a young woman in her late 30s with no husband and four kids to cater to and obviously very far from home.

My mum? She spent her early days with her Father who was a prominent Printing press merchant in Shomolu area of Lagos. 

Did her elementary and secondary education in Shomolu before moving to UI(university of Ibadan) for her Bachelor's degree where she met my dad. There they met and kindled their love and today we are the fruits of that love.

I wasn't from an average family you see. 

My grandmum soon became popular in her line of business and started exporting to American, European and even Asian countries. Who did you think brought in this idea of exporting to western soil? My Dad of course. This idea came about when he went to London business school after his BSC in Business Administration in UI. They soon branched out into other sectors like exporting of African made accessories and locally sourced food items. Till date my Dad still exports goods outside Nigeria and has a wide range of African stores (designers and restaurants inclusive) he makes supplies to.

So you see? We were not broke. Let's just say we were a little lower than the bourgeoisies(that's me being as humble as can be)

They say love would always find a way yeah? My mum's jazz was just too strong on my dad so much so that another woman won't do. Like my Dad always says; "Her Efo was too delicious i forgot the way to my house" She was all he could think of day and night. 

So he returned after his studies to Nigeria and soon after they got married. 

We lived in Gbagada area of Lagos Pedro to be precise, had a four bedroom duplex to ourselves. My younger sister Kwabena and i shared a room while my two brothers had one. We had one visitor room downstairs which was later turned into a study anyways.

We had a boys quarter behind the main building that was occupied by tenants, and a security house right in front.

I went to Ladybird nursery and primary school in Gbagada.

Back then private schools weren't as rampant as they are today. So you know people look at you differently when you walk pass, although them no send your papa!! (they don't really care about you.)

Our Proprietress was a German woman and that just sets us miles ahead of the primary school that was right opposite us(Oduduwa primary school) and every other primary school in Gbagada and shomolu put together(is your Proprietress Oyinbo? Put some respek on my name next time you address me)

Although our compound space was nothing compared to theirs and our parking lot was right beside their fence,we still took pride in the fact that we were the upper class. I mean do they pick you up with a sleek black BMW 1988 model? I bet you know the answer. We were two worlds apart and that was that.

For my secondary school i opted for the best and hottest girls school in the area *Eva Adelaja* It was the Queens college of Gbagada, though it was a public school. I was a day student due to my father's sour experience in boarding school during his time.   

The girls in my school were too hot so juicy that we had boys from other schools drooling. Dating a girl from my school was equated to winning a visa lottery amongst our set and my! did boys flock around us like pigeons did bird feed.

When we had our club and society sessions, boys from St Finbars college Akoka, Cms grammar school and Igbogbi boys came perching like flies on mangoes. Eva Adelaja girls were the rave of the moment. The girls from nearby colleges resented us but who cared? we had the attention of all the boys! Like *Prophet* Dbanj says "We are the kind of sisters that your girlfriend's wanna beees cause we're so endowed we're so endowed" Argue with your deadbeat school.

After my secondary school education, i went to my parents Alma mater University of Ibadan where i acquired a B.S.C in Mathematics and Statistics on the behest of my Mother. She had this idea of me graduating and joining her in managing her printing business(Typical of my mum for wanting to control everything and everyone) She took over her Father's printing press as her two older brothers took a liking to an entirely different career profession, so she didn't really have a choice as she was daddy's girl.

He always raved about how they wanted to waste his effort of building a successful business just to pass it on to strangers when he retires or journeys to the great beyond. This prompted my mum's learning and taking over the business. 

Oooopsy!! I almost left this part out: so shortly after my secondary school i went to a computer college where i was taught the basics of computer and thereafter learnt graphic designing.

I worked as a graphic designer at my mum's firm for a year and half before going to school and was paid per designs for it. I was paid monthly for doubling as a cashier alongside. 

At 17 my monthly pay was 100k if not more all cause my parents believed so much in being financially equipped and investing in self. They had a mantra that reads "A labourer is worthy of his wages" so we all got paid for working and this had nothing to do with our upkeep money or food and utility bills being shouldered by them.

In school i met this drop dead gorgeous hawtie!! His name is Ben, oh Ben!! He smelt like sunday rice and stew, the best thing since shawarma. We were so inseparable or so we seemed. Everyone thought we would end up together, we fell for the hype ourselves.

He was my school husband. We went for classes together, studied together, went for church service together and even moved into the same hostel but separate rooms(fear of iya keji) i couldn't dare move in with a man with my mum's low budget detective skills? She had herself thinking she was Detective Olivia Benson in Law and Order special victims unit. She watched me like a hawk. She could literally see me spiritually lol.

Ben was in Computer Science so we had some courses in common. 

Asides being a student he was a Tech bro. He just like me started his tech job right after secondary school and was earning in foreign currency as at 2007. He wasn't from a wealthy home but man had more cash stacked up than a POS merchant. I always admired him. He was a software programmer and wrote codes as well. Bernard was good at what he did so i asked that he taught me.

This was where my transition into being a tech sis began.

One of the best things i achieved from my five years dating him. How we parted ways? Story for another day. Let's just say some relationships are better off platonic.

I didn't only learn from Ben, when i came out of Youth service i did a few courses in IT. I took courses in Kaggle and went for Tech Bootcamps as well. Whatever material i could get my hands on i chewed on it cause i believe in learning what they know and being better at it than whoever i learnt from.

Now to the present moment, as you know i am a Tech Sis. I work as a Data scientist at Burgundy a Tech company. What we do? We handle all your Computer works, from writing codes to managing databases, handling cloud services, designing software architecture etcetera etcetera.

We help companies manage their computer and systems. In our firm we have the Software eengineers, Hardware engineers, IT support team, Web designer, Data scientists etc. 

As a data scientist i collect, analyze and interpret data to help drive decision making in a firm. 

I make inferences and analyze customer, market trends, financial risks, cybersecurity threats, stock trades or equipment maintenance needs depending on the need of whatever company i to work with per time.

I show up at the office at least three times in a month but get paid in seven figures. 

I still handle other jobs on the side like handling the graphic designing of my mum's printing press and that of her colleagues. The job didn't stop coming so i founded a little company where i gathered a few good designers in a community and paid them to handle my jobs. My little company is not so little anymore as i now have 5 stores in Shomolu and 2 stores in Balogun handling designs on my behalf. I have at least 15 staff and that business generates a revenue of nothing less than 4.5m on a bad business month that is.

I equally run a social media management page(i know right! jack of all trade) where i get to manage the pages of business owners, celebrities, churches, artists, influencers, politicians, Banks,schools etc. 

Let's just say from all businesses i could be going home with 7-8m monthly with overheads taken out.

I own a small condo at Ikate in Lekki area of Lagos state by the grace of God. It's a 2bedroom apartment, all room ensuite, 24hrs power supply plus inverter cause of the nature of my job.

I am a woman of fine taste and i treat my space to frequent pampering. Even though my aparment isn't so big, i hired a terrific interior decorator to work their magic hands over my baby. I opted for a Bohemian styled master bedroom cause i love me some nature. I have an open space kitchen so i couldn't do Bohemian with my living room but trust me, it looks straight out from the rich kid of Asia style setting. 

As a Tech sis, you know gadgets is our thing, s you bet i am a gadget fan. I've always been intrigued by then plus i think gadget save lives. i have a gadget for almost everything. I even have ps5 *winks* don't be playing with me, i have brothers who teach me these things. 

I live alone but I'm not void of having someone crashing at my other room always. Something about my aparment that makes my brothers and some friends suddenly homeless that they whind up staying here for months without leaving. 

I drive a 2015 Toyota Camry XLE colour red which i got as a gift from my dad for my 30th birthday. I have never been a car person, so long as the A.c works and the speakers be giving I'm good to go.

The only time i drive out is when I'm going grocery shopping, church service, outings with a few friends, office check-ins and one or two errands. 

I am a soccer for good music, not these new school rubbish circulating the place lately o, i mean proper oldies. If it ain't 80s/90s then i ain't playing nada!! My genre of music is slow rock, jazz, hip-hop, R&B and a few soul music. 

I sense my neighbours don't like me very much. They think me weird as i keep to myself a lot and I'm mostly home alone working on my system. 

The married ones have beef for me thinking i am a high-class runs girl whose lifestyle is being sponsored by a wealthy Politician or business mogul. I think they are just afraid i might steal their husbands lol! Others think i am a rich kid while some don't just care so long as i don't double cross them. I mean if i were in their shoes I'd say the same, always looking bourgie, has no job that we know of yet spends cheddars faster than she earns it, always coming back home with different supermarket or boutique bags wears the latest things and yet no serious man in sight.

Who's gonna tell em? 

Guys!! How can i forget about my sweet munchkin. I have a dog!! a toy poodle breed,i call her kuku(from the pet name kuchie kuchie, you know that song yeah? Yes that one by Jodie)

Well if you want the rest details about my circle of friends and siblings? You'll have to subscriber to my YouTube channel keeping up with Ama(Ameh Morenikeji Anan)

Now that i have told you about myself let's get into the nitty gritty of my life shall we?

To be continued...