Meet Lagos graduate who fries, sells Akara

Weekend Magazine: When did you start this business? Afolabi Samson: I started in September 2013 because I was tired of waiting for a white collar job. I waited for over a year and decided that I was done waiting because the jobs the government were promising were never coming. When I wanted to start, I […]

Weekend Magazine: When did you start this business?
Afolabi Samson: I started in September 2013 because I was tired of waiting for a white collar job. I waited for over a year and decided that I was done waiting because the jobs the government were promising were never coming. When I wanted to start, I didn’t have a dime on me but I was still determined. I looked around and thought of something that I could be good at and I came up with this idea of frying Akara and puff-puff. I always asked myself ‘you don’t have the capital, how do you intend to start the business?’ and at the end of every inner meditation I always responded to myself that while I do not have the money, I know I will start the business soon. I then decided to loan some money from some family and friends but didn’t tell them what I wanted to do. I was able to raise N135, 000. I used it to buy my gas cylinders, gas, pots, frying spoons, beans, flour, oil and other ingredients. I bought everything in bulk because I did not want to get stuck halfway after a month of business. So I made sure I invested everything in the business before I took off.
WM: What was your parents’ reaction when they got to know you opted for this trade rather than a white collar job?
Samson: My parents were not aware of what I was doing until about three months in, because I was not sure how they would react to the fact that after sending me to school for years I decided to go into business frying and selling by the roadside. But after they found out they were happy for me that I decided to start something for myself and not depend on people or join groups that were of no use in the society. They were happy about it and gave me their blessings.
WM: Were you always the cooking type while growing up?  
Samson: In my family, everyone can cook. Back then our mum always preferred meals cooked by males than those prepared by the female members of the family. But my trade now is, basically, frying. I had to train for it.  I do everything, from the washing of the beans, grinding, mixing, frying, packaging and selling.
WM: What have been the challenges so far?
Samson: There have been many, the major one being the frequent disturbance from government. We sell beside the road and on daily or weekly basis but there is tax we are meant to pay. My second challenge is having to control seven guys in this business.
WM: You seem to have an all-male workforce…
Samson: I deliberately left women out of my business. I wanted to bust the myth that my kind of trade is actually meant for ladies alone. I want to be different and by being different I mean establishing a frying and selling empire with only men as the workforce. If we have to make a difference in our generation we have to do away with the myth that certain jobs are only for a certain gender.
I do not think any other job would have been able to do half of what this trade has afforded me to do for my parents and me. To the glory of God, I have been able to provide the needs of my family and more.
My girlfriend is very proud and likes what I am doing. For her, she says she loves risk-takers and I have proved to be one. She has a white collar job and has offered to assist me in the trade but I declined. As I said earlier, it is a man-only empire that I’m building.
WM: Other than the frying and selling, what other job do you do?
Samson: This is my job and I will not trade it for anything. What I do is that I go for computer training in the evenings. I need to learn all the computer stuff because I will need it in the future when my business expands
WM: If you were to be offered a white collar job, what job would that be?
Samson: Sincerely speaking, I will reject the offer because I really do not look forward to working for anyone at this point in my life to collect peanuts at the end of the month. Even if they are going to pay me three hundred thousand per month I will still reject the offer.
WM: How much do you make a day?
Samson: On a slow day, I make about N30,000. Now tell me one job the government can give me now that can pay me N30,000 for five or six hours?
WM: What advice do you have for undergraduates who are waiting for white collar jobs?
Samson: They should study their environment and look for ideal things that they can key into and make a difference. They should let go of pride and ego and do something out of the ordinary.