‘I’ve sold okirika’ – Omoni Oboli urges online beggars to get their act together

Omoni Oboli, Nollywood actress and film director, says she has had her fair share of hard times.

In an Instagram post, the 40-year-old superstar recounted her past experiences with poverty, while frowning at online begging and advising juveniles to strive for financial independence.

The actress revealed that she once sold secondhand clothing, cook commercially, and weave hair while heavily pregnant in a bid to make ends meet.

“Forget packaging o, I have sold Okirika (secondhand clothing) in this Lagos,” she said.

“I used to cook from my house, pack up the food and take to offices to sell as lunch. I cooked for occasions all by myself even with nine months pregnancy.

“I used to stand for hours pregnant with swollen feet to weave and braid hair for money.”

Oboli made the disclosure while expressing her displeasure with people who take to online platforms to mooch out funds from unsuspecting and soft-hearted citizens.

“I’m not in any way bashing you or knocking your hustle,” she hedged, while advising a lady who was, according to her, in an incessant habit of begging for N1,000 in her comment box.

“If you gather all the 1k I’m sure people have been sending you, You can start something no matter how small.”

“My advice to you young lady…is not to waste your time being a professional beggar, stand up and do something.”

Acknowledging that the country is in hard times, Omoni advised able-bodied Nigerians to work hard as “there is dignity in making your own money”.

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These are the issues… I have never responded to begging comments ever because I know first hand that we’ve all needed a little assistance and maybe even still do so we have to ask but… You are asking for assistance for what exactly? What is the end game? Is it to start a business that will eventually give you some financial freedom? If so, fantastic! I applaud you! When it becomes a lifestyle is when it gets worrisome. How do you for months or years drop the same comment on hundreds or thousands of posts? It reminds me of those days nicely dressed guys would come to you outside business places and say they lost their wallet and they just needed transport fare. You will then know you’ve been had, when the same guy meets you the following week with the exact same story. It’s now online. We all know country hard. Leave o, it’s really hard for many people and we try in our small capacity to help as many people as we can…But if you are an able bodied young person, think of what you can do and then you can beg for the money to do it. I know free money is sweet. Believe me, as hard as I work for my money, the kind of dance I dance when I get free money nor be here but…there’s dignity in making your own money. Dignity in doing something that will not only give you money but bring satisfaction and fulfillment. My darling young lady deleted her comment after my response to her. Luckily I had screenshot it. I had thought she would come to my DM asking for assistance to start something but she deleted her comment. What does that tell you? Please my fellow hustlers, nobody owes anybody anything! Stand up and do something! God bless our hustle.

A post shared by Omoni Oboli (@omonioboli) on Jan 24, 2019 at 11:30am PST

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