Oxlade: I slept under Ojuelegba bridge, sold BRT tickets before fame

Ikuforiji Abdulrahman, the Nigerian singer fondly called Oxlade, has narrated the childhood struggles that shaped his life path. 

In a recent chat with Adesope on the Afrobeats podcast, Oxlade said he struggled before stardom.

The singer said he slept under the Ojuelegba bridge in Lagos on different occasions after absconding from home to pursue his music career.

Oxlade added that he engaged in several menial jobs to survive — including selling bus tickets.

“I was originally born in Mushin Olosha. After secondary school, I moved to my dad’s who stayed in Surulere so basically I became a man or I learned that to become a man is not easy,” he said.

“Because back in Mushin, my grandma was always cooking, we did not know the value of three square meals because we were blessed so the evolution of me becoming a man started in Surulele.

“After my university, everyone in the family said I had to go get nine to five because of that, I had to run away from home. I use to sleep under the barracks bridge sometimes.

“I will spend three days in Oja B’s house, three days in Naya’s house, and three days in Giovanni’s house, and sometimes if the see finish is too much, I will just go to the bridge (Ojuelegba barracks bridge).

“Having to leave the house unprecedentedly, changed my life because that is when I understood the meaning of the word ‘hustle’. I was selling BRT tickets at the same barracks.

“From like 6 am to like 11 am, I am in Ojuelegba barracks. And then from noon, I go chop bread and beans. Then from 1 pm to like 7 pm, I am at the cyber cafe selling tickets. And then overnight, I sell food at this plaza-like eatery, just to survive.”