He was focused on what to do quite early in life and began early too
to work towards that direction. He had plans as a boy of seven to go to
the university and read architectural design when he grows up. He had
the natural gift and possesses the natural talent to design things,
particularly high-rise buildings plans and he needed to go to
institution of higher learning to widen the scope of his knowledge and
for perfection. But that idea, that big dream became a hallucination
when Geoffrey Njoku’s father died about 12 years ago. He was then just
12!
As a result, Geoffrey barely managed to finish his secondary school, but the dream of going to the university or any higher institution for that matter was shattered. At present, life is anything but easy for Geoffrey, now 24. The result is, the young man who hails from Osusu village in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government of Abia State has been roaming about while his dream of furthering his education remained unfulfilled due to financial challenges.
Recently, Education Review sighted Geoffrey on one of the streets in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, hawking some of the ‘paper-houses’ he designed and upon enquiries, learnt how it all began:
“During the time I was in Lagos with my uncle who brought me up, he instilled discipline in me and that made me to look inwards. He was not allowing us to go outside and play, he always wanted us to stay indoors and read our books. So during that period of let me say solitude, I always asked myself: what is it that God has put inside me? That was how, when I was in JSS3 I started to develop the skill for all these things I’m doing now. One thing is that I have not had any formal training in them nor did I attend any technical school to learn how to do them.”
Proof of the pudding
“The first thing I did was a standing fan”, he recalled, “and from there I started doing a lot of things. Even when I did this one (a five star hotel), it was a surprising thing, and from there I started upgrading before I came to do this one (another five star hotel). At a point, one of the teachers in my SSS 3 told me: ‹look, Geoffrey, JSS 3 students were having a project, help us out,› and he gave me the materials he wanted me to use. I checked the materials and did it the way he wanted it done.”
Geoffrey’s star would have shone brighter when he did a job for a Nigerian lady living in Saudi Arabia. Although the woman praised him for doing a good job, apart from giving him more jobs to do for her, her plan to take him to that country, could not materialize owing to logistics reasons.
But something happened to Geoffrey while he was in SS1. He told Education Review that suddenly one day, he took a walk around his school compound in Lagos. As he did so, some ideas started getting into him that he should design and build with hard paper one of the buildings in the school. He started by drawing the building and before the end of that day, he was able to construct a prototype of the structure. It was so excellently done that the school proprietor told him to work towards reading architecture in the university.
Products and peoples’ perception
Geoffrey said that whereas he used to construct initially with cardboard, gum, razor, rule and scissors, now he has upgraded his art to using cutter, boxer, bond paper and spiral nylon for the glass. “When I started, people were surprised at what I did and they kept asking where I had gone to, whether I had been to any technical school and I would tell them no and they would tell me that the best place that would suit me is technical school,” he said. “But on the other hand, the major problem I had was my uncle, I did not get any support from him. He discouraged me and at times seized my works for reason I can’t explain. I would not know why he wasn’t that supportive. My uncle and his wife saw what I was doing as childish. They said I should leave them and “face” my books. But I know that with what I’m doing, I’m going somewhere one day because there is someone in this world who might be looking for this my idea..”
Disappointed at Aba
It was this belief that made Geoffrey to leave Lagos for Aba, with the hope of raising money through the sales of his products, to further his education. But unfortunately that could not be, simply because the market is not just there in the East.
“Most of the things I build are not sold because when I tell people the price they would say it is on the high side. For now, the sole reason I am doing these things is the joy and contentment. But somebody advised me to push them into the market so that people will recognize them and call me for more. But when I remember the money I invested in constructing those prototype houses, I don’t feel like taking that advice. Another thing that has held me back from selling these products is lack of where to display them. At present, the only option is to hawk them on the streets which, on its own, will not give me the desired result. When I left Lagos, November, last year, I carried all these paper buildings into the bus and when people saw me, it was like: ‘is this boy foolish?’ Instead of carrying money, he is carrying paper to Aba. That is not the issue, it’s all about desire. I know where I’m going, and I know that these things will speak for me in future.
“Apart from people in Aba not knowing the worth of the things I construct because all the time they keep on asking of what use they would be if they buy them as they don’t know the value, they have this illiterate mind towards this architectural structure. I think the greatest problem I am having is how to further my education which has not been possible because there is nobody to help me.”
Geoffrey, who currently lives with one of his elder sisters and who works in a hotel as an attendant said the greatest problem he is facing is how to further his education. For that, he is making passionate appeal to the Abia State government, corporate organizations and people of goodwill to help him in his quest to acquire knowledge to serve humanity better.
As a result, Geoffrey barely managed to finish his secondary school, but the dream of going to the university or any higher institution for that matter was shattered. At present, life is anything but easy for Geoffrey, now 24. The result is, the young man who hails from Osusu village in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government of Abia State has been roaming about while his dream of furthering his education remained unfulfilled due to financial challenges.
Recently, Education Review sighted Geoffrey on one of the streets in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, hawking some of the ‘paper-houses’ he designed and upon enquiries, learnt how it all began:
“During the time I was in Lagos with my uncle who brought me up, he instilled discipline in me and that made me to look inwards. He was not allowing us to go outside and play, he always wanted us to stay indoors and read our books. So during that period of let me say solitude, I always asked myself: what is it that God has put inside me? That was how, when I was in JSS3 I started to develop the skill for all these things I’m doing now. One thing is that I have not had any formal training in them nor did I attend any technical school to learn how to do them.”
Proof of the pudding
“The first thing I did was a standing fan”, he recalled, “and from there I started doing a lot of things. Even when I did this one (a five star hotel), it was a surprising thing, and from there I started upgrading before I came to do this one (another five star hotel). At a point, one of the teachers in my SSS 3 told me: ‹look, Geoffrey, JSS 3 students were having a project, help us out,› and he gave me the materials he wanted me to use. I checked the materials and did it the way he wanted it done.”
Geoffrey’s star would have shone brighter when he did a job for a Nigerian lady living in Saudi Arabia. Although the woman praised him for doing a good job, apart from giving him more jobs to do for her, her plan to take him to that country, could not materialize owing to logistics reasons.
But something happened to Geoffrey while he was in SS1. He told Education Review that suddenly one day, he took a walk around his school compound in Lagos. As he did so, some ideas started getting into him that he should design and build with hard paper one of the buildings in the school. He started by drawing the building and before the end of that day, he was able to construct a prototype of the structure. It was so excellently done that the school proprietor told him to work towards reading architecture in the university.
Products and peoples’ perception
Geoffrey said that whereas he used to construct initially with cardboard, gum, razor, rule and scissors, now he has upgraded his art to using cutter, boxer, bond paper and spiral nylon for the glass. “When I started, people were surprised at what I did and they kept asking where I had gone to, whether I had been to any technical school and I would tell them no and they would tell me that the best place that would suit me is technical school,” he said. “But on the other hand, the major problem I had was my uncle, I did not get any support from him. He discouraged me and at times seized my works for reason I can’t explain. I would not know why he wasn’t that supportive. My uncle and his wife saw what I was doing as childish. They said I should leave them and “face” my books. But I know that with what I’m doing, I’m going somewhere one day because there is someone in this world who might be looking for this my idea..”
Disappointed at Aba
It was this belief that made Geoffrey to leave Lagos for Aba, with the hope of raising money through the sales of his products, to further his education. But unfortunately that could not be, simply because the market is not just there in the East.
“Most of the things I build are not sold because when I tell people the price they would say it is on the high side. For now, the sole reason I am doing these things is the joy and contentment. But somebody advised me to push them into the market so that people will recognize them and call me for more. But when I remember the money I invested in constructing those prototype houses, I don’t feel like taking that advice. Another thing that has held me back from selling these products is lack of where to display them. At present, the only option is to hawk them on the streets which, on its own, will not give me the desired result. When I left Lagos, November, last year, I carried all these paper buildings into the bus and when people saw me, it was like: ‘is this boy foolish?’ Instead of carrying money, he is carrying paper to Aba. That is not the issue, it’s all about desire. I know where I’m going, and I know that these things will speak for me in future.
“Apart from people in Aba not knowing the worth of the things I construct because all the time they keep on asking of what use they would be if they buy them as they don’t know the value, they have this illiterate mind towards this architectural structure. I think the greatest problem I am having is how to further my education which has not been possible because there is nobody to help me.”
Geoffrey, who currently lives with one of his elder sisters and who works in a hotel as an attendant said the greatest problem he is facing is how to further his education. For that, he is making passionate appeal to the Abia State government, corporate organizations and people of goodwill to help him in his quest to acquire knowledge to serve humanity better.
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Don’t let him die a dreamer! |
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