THE PROMISED CHILD

MR OPE’S STORY

It was 2:55pm and I was nervous! This was to be my first interview and I had no idea what to expect. My guest was no stranger but I wanted to look professional. Familiarity has its downside and I didn’t want that to get into the way. I was all set and at about 2:25pm my guest logged in.

“Hello can you hear me?” I asked

“Yes I can” he replied.

Mr Ope was comfortably seated on what he called “my favorite chair” and I could tell he was ready to share his story. We started off with the opening prayer and I thanked him for honoring my invitation.

“Omoilere” what’s the story behind it? This was my first question and his reply was “You are actually the first person to ask me this question”. I could feel the excitement in his tone and I knew he was ready to share his story. I smiled as I listened to him

“It all started in 2015 when God called me. However, due to some reasons I later accepted the call in 2016. But there was an issue, I wanted a sign. If I was to accept this call I wanted to make a difference. Opeoluwaseun which is also my name was known for stubbornness. I was into so many bad things (I was a bad boy, a flirt with ladies asking me out, I drink and I take not less than four bottles of beer. I would also steal money from my mum’s purse and denial when asked). Fast track to 2017, I got the confirmation that OMOILERE which means the promised child was to be my new identity.”

Opeoluwaseun Ojekemi(Omoileri) was born on the 5^th of October in Osun state, Ikire, Nigeria. He is the second child among three children. He grew up in his birth state with his parents who were teachers. They lived in a rented apartment and his parents would go farming just to add up to their salaries.”There was once we went farming and a branch fell on my dad, I would never forget that day. It was a terrible experience! Being born into a family with a poor standard of living, we didn’t have much. Our daily meal was always “pap” (a traditional porridge) and the soup was always watery. I promised myself that things will change. I started seeing myself as the man of the house and I was determined to change our story” Although his parents didn’t have much they made sure they invested in their education.

Mr. Ope (as he is commonly called) attended the Baptist Day Nursery and primary school then moved to the school of science where he did his secondary education. “I had to write WAEC thrice because the council would withhold my result and accuse me of cheating. Even at that, I would only have a pass in physics. I finally wrote NECO and gained admission into Joseph Ayo Babalola University where I majored in physics. In 2013 I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physics” In 2017, Mr. Ope traveled to northern Cyprus to pursue his master’s degree in business administration. He is currently a Ph.D. student and an assistant to the vice-rector of Cyprus international university. He is also the CEO of a consultancy firm and he is happily married to Mrs. Oluwaseun Rachael Opeoluwaseun. He is also a pastor at the All Christian Fellowship(ACF) Lefke.

“Life before 2016 was a life of the flesh. My concern was to have fun. I would trouble my parents, wear baggy trousers, and I dyed my hair. There was no progress in my life and at one point I went with my friend to see a fetish priest. Life was really a mess but to God be the glory-2016 MARKED A TURNING POINT.”

What were some challenges you faced?

“I have also had my own share in the struggles of life. Apart from my childhood experiences, seeing my parents struggle, and being lost in university-life in Cyprus was another big challenge. The difference this time was that I had Christ. Life in Cyprus is what I would call “the experience” I arrived at Ercan airport around 8pm and I single-handedly sponsored my trip (after his BSc, he worked as a teacher and was able to save some money). Upon my arrival, I was given a room in the school dormitory but my roommates wanted me to join a gang. I refused and asked for a change of room. I met my new roommate; his name is Cherno (my very good Gambian friend. One I would never forget). Cherno was a great encouragement and based on his observation (I was always praying for people) he started calling me pastor. There were days I had nothing to eat and I had no sponsors. I had just a pair of jeans which I would wear both to work (manual work like farming and construction) and then attend lectures. There was a time I just couldn’t help it, I burst out in tears while working under the hot sun. I was mocked and rejected but one thing I did was to remain focus. I always had this ambition to become a CEO; I wanted to be my own boss. I was determined and I kept pushing. I programmed my mind for success

‘’One thing I never did was hide my talent. If you are reading this, I am encouraging you not to hide that which is in you. Your gift will make way for you; you will get to meet people and network. Because of my nature and love for God, I was asked to represent ACF at an event. Mrs. Kezban, who was in charge of the international student, asked me to organize a welcoming party which I did. From that semester things started to change for the better. I graduated with no depts. I got a scholarship to do my Ph.D. plus a job offer from the university.  That’s the beauty of life in Christ. Despite the challenges, we are over-comers!”

Mr Ope’s dream to become his own boss materialized. He is the CEO of cstalwart consultancy.

MY WIFE WAS MY FIRST CLIENT AND SHE COINED THE NAME OF MY BUSINESS

“Cstalwart consultancy is a dream come true. I had the idea after an entrepreneurship talk at church. I prayed about it and started working on it. I watched videos on how to write proposals then drew my plan. My girlfriend who is now my wife was in Nigeria and she wanted to come do her masters too. I had to process her documents making her my first client.”

Cstalwart consultancy is a firm that’s specializing in helping students study abroad. They have partnership with various universities in Cyprus, turkey etc. some of the universities they partner with includes the following

• New vision university( Georgia)
• Cyprus international university(Cyprus)
• Cyrus west university(Cyprus)
• University of Nicosia(Cyprus)
• Humber University(Canada)
• Ankara University(Turkey)
• Near East University(Turkey)

“We are not just an agency; in fact, I don’t see myself as one. I am a consultant. Apart from schools, we have expanded and we are into the buying and selling of lands”

“How where you able to sustain the business? What’s your secret?

“God is my sustainer, it can only be Him. However, as a person I made sure to work on myself. I built my confidence, identified my strength and worked on my weak points. Since then I have grown and I am still growing. Sincerity is the watchword of this firm. We also invest in our students. We value them. All the students we work with are satisfy with our services. Most of them refer their friends to us. We want to grow beyond recruiting students. We aim at partnering with countries so that we can do visa applications”

The sky we’ve been told is the limit but Mr. Ope is aiming higher. If you know Mr. Ope you would know he likes music. So I asked what his favorite song was.”I don’t have one. I love our Yoruba songs but lately, I am listening to “Jehovah you, I trust, in you (at this point he was singing). I could only watch him with a smile on my face. Our interview was about to end but to be honest I was enjoying the conversation. However, my time was up so my last question was this “what advice or encouragement would you give to someone who is going through challenges, especially a youth?” “What I would tell them is to train their mind for success. Challenges and struggles are part of life but if you are focused and committed to the things of God, He will see you through. Do not be envious! Be content and focus your gaze on the cross. Keep working hard, sooner or later your story would change. I am also urging them to know their identities and understand their capacities. Master your environment. Define yourself! Never let the environment define you. Don’t give up, it’s not over until God says so. You are blessed in Christ!

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