Nigerian college drop-out Abeokuta Olatoyan attracted international media when he decided not just to take on the job of a car windscreen cleaner (squeegee man), but to do so in style! This move has set him apart as not just Africa’s most dapper squeegee man but one of Africa’s most innovative people. Now, CNN reports that Olatoyan’s eye-catching effort to gather the needed funds to complete college and start his own business has gained him employment with a local clothing line.
Talking about the reason for entering to the business of car-screen washing Olatoyan revealed that he never had wanted to be seen loitering about doing nothing as an unemployed youth.
“I didn’t want to be wandering the streets doing nothing,” he stated.
Meanwhile, upon coming across a photograph of the elegant squeegee man, head of Nigeria’s clothing line OUCH, Uche Nnanji mounted a search party for him on Instagram so he could immediately employ Olatoyan:
Youth unemployment remains one of the greatest problems in Nigeria, despite being the leading producer of oil in West Africa. According to international economic forecasts, Nigeria’s unemployment rate is most likely to increase to 12 percent by 2020. Olatoyin’s story is an inspiration to the discouraged jobseekers to keep a positive attitude because you never know who may be watching. As OUCH’s head man told CNN photographer Daniel Sync:
“I saw attitude in him and thought if this man is doing this just to go and wash cars, he is someone that will work with a different mindset even if he’s doing the least popular job in the company.”
Olatoyan in his new role as “style doctor”. (Photo: lailasblog.com)
