A Window of Opportunity: Part 1

A while ago, I used a photo to hint about this story.

This happened during my time serving as a National Youth Service Corps member in Sokoto State and is a part of my journey to financial independence.

One day while visiting the bank, I spotted a sign advertising job opportunities at a local fertilizer production and distribution company.

It didn’t strike me as glamorous work, but my thoughts were that:

1. It was an actual paying work that would supplement my federal allowance;
2. It was connected to the agricultural sector and was producing something organic; and
3. It promised flexibility and different levels of engagement which would minimize conflicts with my primary NYSC assignment.

I was damn tired of nearly going broke too many times during my service.

So, I quickly contacted the advertiser and was asked to text him my qualifications. I also followed up with my details and my LinkedIn profile URL, because I was more than good to go.

But, I slowly began to suspect that something was not right.

The normal response to my LinkedIn URL isn’t usually “I’ll get back to you before Saturday.”

Then a friend asked me if it was a real job and I soon got a casual, generic-looking text inviting me to attend a “company job empowerment” event along with a passport photograph.

In my previous job-hunting experience, I was either invited for an interview or asked to take a test.

Something was definitely up.

On the day of the event, I showed up at the location, a local public school, and met a small crowd of people carrying, not just passport photos, but large brown envelopes.

I tried to convince myself that they were there for a different programme, but when the call was made for us to gather, the whole crowd filed into the room.

At this point, I realized that it was impossible for all of us to get interviewed and that I was in for something special.

We were instructed to silence our phones, to save our questions until the end of the presentation, and to stay seated the whole time.

Since I knew I’d been had, I decided to let the scenario play out. I’d devoted my Saturday to this “opportunity” after all.

After a brief introduction, the initiator of the seminar informed us that we were not going to provided with jobs. Instead, we would be given an opportunity to get good health and earn cool wealth.

In short, we were invited to join a multi-level marketing programme that involved using the basic product (a nutritional supplement), sharing the product with our network, and inviting new people to take advantage of the opportunity.

At this point, I was convinced of two things:

1. I would not be taking advantage of this particular opportunity; and
2. I would stay through the entire presentation to understand how my fellow Nigerians were being roped into this scheme.

Stay tuned for Part 2.