Alum case study- James Otaru
BEATING THE ODDS James Otaru’s story of winning, against all odds. James Otaru was a sales boy at a perfume store somewhere in Ojo, Alaba. He heard about WAVE from Kelvin and Solomon George when they went to his church to speak. In a move that can only be described as a leap of faith, James quit his former job and applied to WAVE Academy because he wanted to gain more knowledge and unearth his potential. Of the forty youth who were addressed in his church, James was the only one who decided to apply. That singular decision, however, brought with it a barrage of challenges. James had to come to Yaba from Ojo every day. “I was coming from Tedi, opposite Ojo Cantonment Barracks to Yaba every day, from Monday to Saturday, 8am to 6pm and also striving to get to the Academy early,” he said. He had to trek long distance most times, trying to manage the little money on him – and that’s when he had any money at all. “Most times when I didn’t have enough money, I trekked from Yaba to Orile and s...