Photo Credit: Tunde Adeniyi
By Taiwo Obe
It was the last big day of track and field at Olympics ’92.
Carl Lewis, one of the world’s greatest athletes, had not been billed to be in the United States of America team for the 400-metre relay race because he had finished sixth in the open 100 metres in the Olympics trials, two months earlier. He was fielded because one of the athletes – Mark Witherspoon – tore his Achilles’ tendon in another race.
Anyhow, the team, comprising Mike Marsh, Leroy Burrell, Dennis Mitchell and Lewis (as the anchor leg). finished in 37.40 seconds to clinch gold.
Hear what Lewis said after the win: “After the Olympic trials, I felt the top four should run the race, and I expected that. But life is about timing and overcoming difficult things.”
Joseph John Apeh, one of the two subjects featured in mytori.ng this week, should have been the first entry if this site had started around May; because it was on Saturday 8 May that I first heard of him. I was at the wedding reception of the son of my former colleague at The Guardian, Tommy Odemwingie. when the talk on our table – after so much to eat and drink – pivoted to the poor service culture prevalent among Nigerian craftsmen and service providers and the general tendency to cut corners in breach of trust. Then Osaro, Tommy’s younger brother, talked about how this Joseph is different. I asked to be linked with him, for something more expansive. Joseph and I started talking on the 19th of May.
Then came mytori.ng (on 29 July).
I decided only last week that it was time to have him featured.
As you would read, Joseph’s tori is also about timing – to say it as Calvin Harris (real name: Adam Richard Wiles), one of the world’s top DJs would, he was “in the right place at the right time.”
Where?
When?
Fasten your seat beat and dive in here to get the answers.
And, as I often say, please tell others.
#happenstance #destiny #attitude #reward
My name is Joseph John Apeh.
I am, by the Grace of God, the second of 11 children – six boys and five girls – of my mother (Esther John Apeh) for my father (John Apeh). Sadly, we have lost one of the boys called Papa. I am an Igala from Adupi Ogugu in Olamaboro Local Govt Area of Kogi State. My father had relocated from there to Kaduna in the 1970s. I understand too that he married my mother from there. Their family houses were near each other’s.
I am a Kakuri boy. Kakuri is in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna.
It was in Kakuri that I was born on 15 October 1978 at St. Gerard Catholic Hospital.
It was also in Kakuri, at the United Nigeria Textiles (UNTL) that my father worked as a driver until he lost the job.
I attended LEA Primary School in Kakuri. In Primary Five, I was the school timekeeper and in Primary Six, the Head Boy.
It was in Kakuri that I started learning motor mechanic repairs, in 1987. Yes, I was a mere nine-year-old boy. My father went into transportation after he lost his job. He had, I think, a Hiace Bus. He always took the vehicle to the mechanic workshop of his immediate younger brother, Uncle Benjamin, at Old Artillery Barracks Road, opposite Queen Amina College, in Kakuri, to fix. Because I was always with him, I began to develop interest in mechanic work. My father also wanted me to learn it to be able to help with his own vehicle and also learn some vocation.
I went to school in the morning, and, after school hours, I would proceed to my uncle’s workshop to train.
I did that till when I finished primary school in 1991. I sat and passed the Common Entrance Examination. My father said he had no money to send me to secondary school. So did my uncle.
The money was less than thirty naira then.
That was how I lost out from going to secondary school.
I decided then to start doing menial jobs. So, while I learnt mechanic work from Monday to Friday, on Saturday and Sunday I went to the market to carry tomatoes on my head and push wheelbarrows. Sometimes, I did bus conductor… just to raise money to enable me to pay the fees of my older brother (Sunday John Apeh) who was then in boarding house at the Government Secondary School, Bwari in Abuja and those of my younger ones who were in school. I also worked very hard to raise money to assist my mother who was into buying and selling of yam, cassava, palm oil and what have you in the market. Sometimes, she sold her wrappers to supplement these expenses.
I was doing all that until I graduated from the motor mechanic repairs in 1996. I did my freedom sometimes in September 1996 and in 1997, I proceeded to Abuja.
In Abuja, I was fortunate to work with my friend who had space in the Apo Mechanic Village. After the sixth month or so, I requested from my friend to give me some money so that I could visit my parents and siblings in Kaduna, but he said he had no money. According to him, I fixed cars for other people on the side and got paid. I told him I wanted his money because I had been working for him for over six months and I deserved to be paid by him.
Out of annoyance, I decided to trek from there to my uncle’s place – Block 4, Flat, Garki Police Barracks – where I was staying.
On my way out, I ran into someone who had issues with his Toyota Cressida, old model. He told me that he had been coming to the Apo Mechanic Village for about three months to sort out the same problem. I told him to start the engine. He did, and on hearing the sound, I determined that the distributor timing was wrongly timed and that the slow jet in the carburetor was blocked with dirt. I told him that these are minor issues that could be fixed in less than ten minutes. I asked if he had a spanner. He said no. I went to get spanner and he paid for it. So, I set to work, and in ten to fifteen minutes, I was able to put the car in order. He asked that I should join him to test-drive the vehicle to be sure that the problem had been fixed. I did, and after confirming that his car was okay, he was impressed. Really impressed.
He then said that I should follow him to his uncle’s place; that he would like to introduce me to him.
I was a young man of about 18 years….
I followed him.
It turned out that the uncle was Senator Uba Ahmed, then Minister of Labour and Productivity.
On reaching the uncle’s house at Ontario Crescent in Maitama, he went upstairs (apparently) to discuss with (Senator Uba Ahmed). I waited outside by the car. The next thing I saw were some security men in suit who came to me and asked if I was Mr Joseph. I said yes, and they said I should come with them. I did, and they took me upstairs where the minister was. He said, ‘young boy like you, I learnt that you are very good, that you can fix cars very well and somebody has just testified.’ I said, yes, I can try. He told me he had some jobs for me to do in Lagos; that his cars were bad in Lagos, and I would go with some of his lawyers. His lawyers then included Mr Anselm Ojezua (who was recently chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) political party in Edo State) and Barrister Shanka Andrew in Jos.
I went with them.
On our way, we stopped in Ilorin to see another of the man’s lawyers, Wole Olaonipekun, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. From Ilorin, we proceeded to Lagos.
We stayed at 23 Temple Road, Ikoyi, where the minister had a guest house and there were at least 20 vehicles which were broken down.
I spent about six months to fix all the vehicles.
When I completed the work, the government drivers took them to Abuja, and I also returned to Abuja, and I was paid, a huge amount, in the hundreds of thousands of Naira. The money was too much for me to bear and I had to go to Kaduna to stay with my parents and do one or two things.
I returned to Abuja late 1998 and opened my own workshop at “NEPA Junction” where I was until 2005 when (Mallam Nasir) el-Rufai, then Minister of FCT, gave us a new allocation of lands at this new place (Plot 309/310 Apo New site by Catholic Church. Honda Line Apo). I bought some standard tools, and with the relationship that I had with some of the drivers, they were telling other people who were also telling other people about me. That was how I started, and, by the Grace of God (chuckles) till today it has been from one testimony to another, to another, to another and to another.
I cannot remember the name of the man who took me to (now late) Senator Uba Ahmed. He was a businessman who dealt in precious stones. I learnt that he too is late.
My father died in 2001.
My mother is alive and with us in Abuja, and still doing her trading in foodstuff at Karu Market.
My Uncle Benjamin died about four years ago. He had himself moved to Abuja where he died.
At some point, I decided I should try to do GCE, and get a university degree. Of all my siblings, I am the only one without one. So, I managed to sit for GCE without attending any formal classes and eventually got admission to study sociology in the University of Abuja Distance Learning programme. I discontinued because it was not properly organised and my work, which demanded almost all my time.
Once when I visited Kaduna, I saw my primary school arithmetic teacher, Mr Finia, alias Marimari. I have lost his contact, but I will try and trace him again, and, if possible, the other teachers.
I have four workers and seven apprentices. One of the instructions I give them is to never lie to any customer.
One of my senior apprentices, named Abdullahi, became a staff of FCT High Court, and in charge of their vehicles’ repairs.
In all, God has been faithful to me. I am doing well, and I am also able to help others.
I repair vehicles for, among others, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, National Hospital, UBA PLC, Nigeria Shippers Council and the Central Bank of Nigeria customers. I can be reached on +234 708 293 1023.
Source: mytori.ng
