Sometimes, we need to read life stories such as this to help us believe more in ourselves and never give up in life!
Roberta is an IT professional who has worked with top IT firms in Nigeria, she is also cinematographer, entrepreneur and the founder of African Startups TV.
The beautiful lady got married to her prince charming in April 2017. She did not attain all the successes she has today because she had it all rosy from start. Her story will motivate and inspire you. It is quite lengthy but do well to read through.
Read below:
Yesterday we gathered to watch our wedding video, everything was okay until we got to the place where we were signing the marriage register and the videographer used Frank Edward “Let the whole world know” the lyrics of the song got to me especially this part “When it was me against the world, You came and You fought for me, smashing all my enemies and gave me the victory.
You’re my light in the darkness, my ever present help, I’m gonna let the whole world know, You are the Way maker, You are building dreams not failures, You make it all work for me, You are my everything”, I just noticed water gushing out of my eyes cos the song brings memories, the same memory that played back in my head as I walk down the aisle, it stormed my head and I didn’t know if I was smiling or crying, it is in watching the video that I got to know a lot of things that happened as I match in, because I think I wasn’t myself, I had terrific memories, memories that only me and my mum understood.
You see, my mum was all teary through-out my wedding, the little time she came closer to me, I told her please smile, then she went all teary again and water started gushing out of her eyes, I understood totally for exactly 12 years ago just like yesterday I came to Lagos after all hopes of survival failed, I was in SS 2 and life happened so terribly that it seems that it was the end, I remember packing my bags off school heading back to the village, on my way back I would branch the house of my best friends to say a final good bye, there were more than friends Ndy Eshiet, Mmeyene Eshiet and Eshiet Iboro, I remember that as I turned back to leave Ndy Eshiet cried and handed me some money and ask me to keep in touch.
As I journeyed back I saw a GCE form advert a voice said, use the money to get the form, I followed that voice, got down purchased the form, I would later sit for the exams and passed all papers without a C (All As and Bs). Thinking what can I do and asking God questions, then I have an aunty that comes to Lagos often, she came to visit my mom but met her absence so I engaged her instead, can I come with you to Lagos this time, I just want to get out of here for now so my head will rest, she said no, your mom won’t let you, I said don’t bother about that side, I’ll sort it, I would later convince my mom to give me 3 months to go think out of the box, she never agreed but I made her weak enough to allow me part.
Fast forward I am sitting inside a big BRT like bus coming to Lagos, I will peep outside at intervals, then I started thinking about life, put my head on the small bag I had on my leg and started praying or no, started asking God questions and fighting him, God Didn’t you say your children will be the head and not the tail?
Didn’t you say you will make my future bright and beautiful? But God they were all lies as I have been thrown off school, I managed to take GCE, God you lied, just admit it that you lied and we can now all come to conclusion that what you told me in the alter that day wasn’t possible or visible anymore, I ask a lot of nonsense questions, then I started asking God to forgive me all over again, I didn’t know when I cried out inside the bus, I cried so much everyone ran to my seat and ask what happened, I couldn’t speak I just told them I was praying and everyone were like then why are you crying.
I kept quiet and started talking to God, if I have ever heard the voice of God before then, it was never as clear as when he told me “I will establish you in Lagos”, then I wondered how possible because have heard a lot of bad things about Lagos, we have had neighbors and friends who had gone to Lagos and they were all amount to nothing from what I know, so I kept asking God how possible, me I just want to stay 3 months to clear my head.
Fast forward to few months in Lagos, I finally spotted my church in Itire, been looking for it for long, it just seems to be the only place that gives me that connection with God, as I finally spotted the church I was so excited I ran in Sunday evening, the 1st person I saw was a brother standing in front of the church, he was from my village, I didn’t know him as I have not lived in the village for long but with my face he told me I should be from the Edu’s family, I would later agree with him and he would shake his head after asking me what I am doing in Lagos and I said house girl.
He asked how he can speak with my mom, he would later find a phone number to reach my mom and on that day he called my mom the first thing he said was I want you to recall this girl from Lagos immediately if not, you have just agreed to waste her, in fact she is wasted already, I will provide the transport fare, I want to hear that she is gone like tomorrow morning. Even though he had gone faraway to talk to my mom I could still sense what he was saying from afar and finally he came with the phone and my mom was on the phone, before I could say hello, she was deep in tears, she couldn’t even talk, she summed up courage to say, I want you to return back like tomorrow, Brother – said he will give you transport J I gave her time to talk, she started listing the names of people that have gone to Lagos and have all become a ghost of what people thought they will be in life and how she didn’t want my life destroyed, unwanted pregnancy and all sort of things.
I summoned up courage and I said to her, God said He will establish me here, mom went mad what! Which God told you that, it’s not a good God that want to destroy you o, where did you see God that he told you such nonsense, I will swear for you next time you call out any God in this matter, how can I suffer for years to raise you people and now you want to put me to shame, I summoned another courage and said, mummy don’t worry yourself, I know what God has told me and I promise you that I will be different and if me and God ever had a different choice or change of mine I will come back but for now, pray for me…
I cut off the phone, even though I never knew how I am going to come out of my situation, God knew, He went ahead of me and today He has proved Himself beyond every doubt in my life, So when God started answering my prayers, one of the things that were in my mind were God help me not to forget how you’ve helped me, made me and how your grace have found me, the promise i made to my mom and self kept singing in my head all the time and even though i wasn’t in anyway desperate to proof anything to her, i knew that one day, that day will come.
So after my traditional wedding I looked at my mom and she went all teary and said thank you, you were right, God indeed did speak to you… So who am I not to let the whole world know that God is a way maker…
I want to use this opportunity to thank everyone that made my wedding a memorable one, especially those who flew in from Lagos Olabode Efuntoye Babatope Makun Tmak, Ebere Ogbonna Ujunwa Ogbonna, my mummy in the Lord Mrs Opaleye Olusola Folakemi etc. Uyo District Overseer Rev Inyang, Ministers of the gospel, Uyo Music Director, Uyo Chief Organist Samuel Uwak, Uyo Choir you guys were wonderful, my Uyo friends Ini OkonChristian Udo God bless all of you, my childhood friends the everlasting Eshiet Iboro and Christian Edet, our Sunday school children choir soloist Inimfon (Umoh Itoho-Ukeme tag her) my matron Blessing Abraham and everyone that turned up even though some of you do not even know me, I am most grateful.
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