Full-time orphan

The full time Orphan

At least, dip your finger in red oil seven times and put in your mouth. It is still far better than showing up here on empty Stomach. Some of you even treks miles to here on empty stomachs. If you must sit for this exam, do that once and for all. The Principal said.

Mr Ibeh, Principal of Merchant of light secondary school had noticed that greater percentage of this final year students had not been performing well for the past three years now and the school management had taken survey and found out that the reason behind the poor result had been poverty. Their investigation revealed that majority of the student are from poor family, most eat poorly two times a day and most skip morning meal. On hot climate of Biafra, it did not augur well with calculation related subjects. 

Sam was among the students being addressed. He was wondering if the principal knew that most dont even eat twice a day. He wonders how the investigation was arrived at. I strongly believe that the investigation is one sided. He told his tfriend. some teacher dont know what they are teaching. Why do mr ikoo the maths teacher always say. in this junction, I cross multiply, instead of in this juncture I cross multiply, dont he eat in the morning too?" he querries. It is instruction from education board that every student must pass mathematic, English, Igbo and one science subject, How come then that 70 percent of the student that fail these subjects in senior W.A.E.C never repeated any class from year one to Six?, Subjects you passed for five years, 70 percent fail in sixth year when and where it matters most. Is it not sign that the teachers has problem? How come it is dipping hands in red oil is the best solution the management came out with? . Why didnt they budget for morning food for 31days the exam will last?" He asked.

A month later, senior west African examination council (WAEC) came to an end. Sam was very happy. He knew that university education is out of the equation. He is not worrying much about passing WAEC, he knew that he will make it once all is normal. In this country, anything can happen. Ones script can disappear on transit. 

A week after exam, sams mother died. He was the last born of the family and the only one living with his mother in the village. It was just three days back she was complaining of feeling slight pain at the back. He has massaged the place and applied balm, he had bought all those yellow, black and red coloured capsules from the chemist and gave her. What exactly happened in the night that she died in her sleep is puzzling to him. He had raised alarm around 6am in the morning when he had went into her room to see how she was felling and found her very cold and not responding to his calls. Neighbours had rushed in and his other siblings notified. They all came back very quickly for putting her in mortuary is out of the equation. There is no money for that. His elder brother is an apprentice to one trader in the city, his two sister, one was into hairdressing and the other was a seamstress. Their father had died when sam was three years old. At seventeen, he became a full time Orphan. 

After the burial, The siblings gathered to know how and where to fix sam. Luckly, he was recommend to one supermarket owner from their town. The man took him and posted him to a branch in Ukpo the mans chains of supermarkets were not doing well before sam came. He was sent to Ukpo where supermarkets there were performing just like the others. He did not come with any noticeable skill excepts his innocence, goodness and honesty. No other particular skill. He spent his learning years under a manager that he dont understand as a person. No particular way of doing things. No assigned duties to people under him. "Anything and everything goes manager". Sam noticed that, that was the root of the acrimony and unprogressive nature of the branch. 

Four your later, when he became manger, he decided to do away with most attitudes of the boys under him. Organize the boys and the goods the way he felt will generate income to the branch. He knew from day one that changes to peoples accustomed way of live always bring resistance, hatred, even uprising at times. He still went ahead with the reorganization.

He believed that there must be division of labour and acute supervising to turn the forturns of the branch around. He instituted discipline accountability into the life of the boys under him. After four months of anger, backbiting and saboutage, the boys falled in line. Within another three months, the branch had paid off all the debts it was owning to their suppliers. The branch the owner regarded as dumping ground for boys he rate as no good has became the main source of income he use in bailing off other branches that were about to go under courtesy of sams efforts.

Every week, he will remit two hundred thousand to his boss that has formed that habit of paying weekly visit to his branch. It happens that his boss was building a bungalow at Nkpor and the Chunk of the money comes from Sams branch. The remittance continued in that form for the next three years. The year of sams settlement.

On the day of sams settlement, his boss gave him two hundred thousand naira. Everyone was speechless. One of sams kinsmen was forced out of confusion to ask the boss if anything is the matter. Nothing Answered the boss. 

But for years, you are the one praising sam to high heavens. Did he steal from you? the man asked. No, nothing like that. He said. It is what is from my mind to give him. He concludes. 

They to give him. The man and went their various ways. When everyone has dispersed, sam followed his boss inside the parlour, begging him to please add another two hundred on top for him to be able to start supply business for with hundred thousand, no one will look his way. The boss refused. 

Sam went to his cousin asking for hundred thousand, he was given fifty thousand after two days. his elder brother was into hands to mouth survival living for his boss himself was bloke so, did not settle him well. Sam started supply business with two-fifty thousand and it continued like that for the next four years. When he felt that he had gathered enough money to start supermarket, he started one with half of the goods inside bought on credit. He named his supermarket. 'Destiny supermarket' The good fortune that was following him never deserted him and on the second year of starting the supermarket, he bought a plot of land that appreciated within seven months. A telecommunication firm gave him 45 million naira for a land he bought 1.5 million seven months ealier. 

Today, Destiny supermarket has six branche in Ukpo alone, Sam the full time orphan has five houses in Ukpo alone, his supermarket has seven cashierpoint the biggest in Ukpo. He was building departmental store in two major cities. His elder brother is progressing at an astronomical rate and his two sisters, married to the husbands that are performing well. All courtesy of Sams generosity. His former boss was heard telling someone that Sam came to him with his good luck and left with all the luck he don't even care to forget some. He has gone back to his former position.