Portable: Life on the Streets Taught Me Valuable Skills

Portable, a Nigerian singer and entertainer, has shared his childhood struggles and street experiences in an interview on The Honest Bunch Podcast.

According to Portable, he lost his mother at the age of 13, and nobody could provide the care and support she would have given him. "You learn from the street more than school," he said. "I lost my mother at the age of 13, nobody to take care of me. It wasn't like they couldn't take care of me, but they wouldn't take care of me the way my mother would have taken care of me."

Portable recalled how his mother used to provide him with basic needs such as food and pocket money. He had to engage in small businesses as a young boy to survive. "My mother would give me pocket money and food. Would anyone have been able to do that for me? I sold pure water at Joju inside School 3," he said.

The singer defended comments made by Nigeria's First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, encouraging unemployed Nigerians to embrace small-scale businesses. He argued that many successful Nigerians were raised through income generated from petty trading and informal businesses operated by their parents.

"Nigerians misunderstood what Remi Tinubu meant," Portable said. "If you look at many wealthy people in this country, their mothers trained them by selling pepper and roasted corn." He stated that small-scale businesses can be profitable, sharing an experience he claimed to have had during a visit to London, where he saw a corn seller who owned a luxury vehicle.

"When I went to London, I even saw someone selling corn while using a Benz," Portable said.

The experience of Portable highlights the importance of informal businesses in Nigeria's economy. Many Nigerians rely on small-scale businesses to survive, and the first lady's comments may have been an attempt to encourage entrepreneurship among the youth.

Portable's story also raises questions about the role of education in preparing young people for life. While formal education can provide valuable skills and knowledge, it may not always equip individuals with the skills to survive in a rapidly changing world.

In the end, Portable's story is a testament to the resilience and resourcefulness of Nigerians who have had to navigate life on the streets. His experiences and lessons learned can serve as a reminder of the importance of entrepreneurship and hard work in achieving success.