Going beyond the Odds to Affect Lives By Gloria Ikegbule
The Revolution in America did not come by chance as many would erroneously think. Young Martin Luther King Jr, caught in a hostile environment of apartheid, was bold enough to be the change his society craved despite the intimidations. On his mantra ‘I have a dream,’ the world saw Martin Luther King Jr. change the history of apartheid in America forever.
We have not stopped taking counts of men and women who dreamt change and fought for change all over world. These people battled the odds, endured lack and hurts to birth social change; these men didn't allow their backgrounds and experiences becloud their vision of being change agents. This is the story of an Orphan, Jonathan Olakunle Olanlokun, a die-hard change agent whose seeming hardship can’t stop him from living for the good of his neighbor. For Jonathan, social works is his lifestyle.
For instance, at the 30th Anniversary of Victory Christian Church, Abule Oshin, Badagry Express Road, Jonathan shared that he voluntarily washed the toilet for the 5days of the event seeing its messy state. He recounted, “I came in to use the toilet only to discover its dirty state and took it upon myself to clean it for the sake of the guests." It was on the last day that someone gave him some money for his selfless service. He also shared how he attended a program and upon seeing the need for an usher volunteered to fill up the gap, a gesture which was greatly appreciated by the organiser. Last year he took permission to clean the dirty aluminum swing doors of the Nigerian Railway Corporation. He cleaned it alone for four days. This is aside other cleanups and humanitarian jobs he has done in Lagos, his formal base- Osogbo and other places. His belief is that the world will be a better place if we contribute our best for the other.
This motivation also saw him set up the Barbara Abike Epperson foundation, inspite of his low educational qualification, 18 years ago. Jonathan lost his work last March 2015, due to him being the sole financier of his foundation and also lacking the knowledge of raising funds for the foundation he established in the name of his grandmother- the American Baptist Missionary and Social Worker, Miss Barbara Abike Epperson.
Jonathan vowed to start an Expedition by continuing his humanitarian and social works in Lagos and any place his feet touches in Nigeria, as a full time responsibility even without supplies and provisions. In the process, Jonathan became a homeless person in the street of Lagos.
Despite this, Jonathan marveled himself by organizing a social change event at the prestigious Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos in July 2016. It was themed: Real Change Agents and their roles in Nigeria’s Socio-Economic Development: The Hope, Challenges and Prospects In a Depressed Economy. The laudable event had in attendance great minds such as – Mr. Dayo Isreal, CEO GLEEHD Foundation and Mr. Abiola Salami, CEO iamaCHAMP Ltd, Mr Bayo Fagbamila Jr from New York City University, Mr Emmanuel Fadahunsi of Toastmasters International and Coach Akeem . Jonathan remembered with pride that he has once been evicted from the hotel by one of the hotel security staff for allegedly attending free events at the conventional centre.
The hotel was the least of the places he has been rejected for been a social worker. His family also rejected him. Jonathan Olakunle Olanlokun, a Aluminium manufacturer by profession had a thriving business from which he built a house in Osogbo, Osun State at age 26 and trained twenty-two apprentices one of whom is the husband of Olajumoke Orisaguna, the bread seller cum model. Jonathan recounted that he was taking money from his business to fix humanitarian issues around him. But all this did not go down well with his family . “All I was doing was out of passion. But my family rejected me, they saw me as a problem saying I was going the extra mile and doing the unnecessary,” says the 40 year old social worker.
While talking about how this foundation that aims to cushion the plight of the needy came about, Jonathan explained that his late mother Caroline was adopted from birth at 8 days old as a motherless baby by Late Miss Barbara Epperson from Miami Oklahoma USA at Baptist welfare centre, Iree, Osun State, Nigeria in 1953.
Having been impacted by these heroes, he fell in love with social works. And the passion and tenacity to continue in their legacy saw the birth of the foundation despite his shallow academic profile.
“I was not a motivational speaker or a writer. I couldn't pen down a flawless line of sentence when I founded the Barbara Abike Epperson Foundation 18 years ago, but today I motivate, write, research and carry the message for a new Nigeria every where I go. The vision to impact positively on the next person beside me is more powerful than my impediment”. In the last nineteen months, Jonathan has been living under the bridge, motor parks, slums as he vows to continue his expedition to the next level and researching on the homeless and the high level of poverty in Nigeria and says he can’t determine where his next meal would come from. Nonetheless, the burning passion to help others would not allow him succumb to mediocrity. “I put aside my grief to help another, then go back to my grief,” and talking about how he has been coping with fending for himself he said, “I am a faith person. And every of my success has been God using few men for my benefit”.
Talking about his motivation to selflessness, Jonathan explained, If Miss Barbara Epperson did not adopt my late mother, I may not be alive today,” hence, “I have a vision to build an economically-viable, socially-dynamic and value-prosperous society through the collective support and cooperation of philanthropists, both individuals and corporate. This is what we live for at Barbara Abike Epperson Foundation,” he reiterated.
We have not stopped taking counts of men and women who dreamt change and fought for change all over world. These people battled the odds, endured lack and hurts to birth social change; these men didn't allow their backgrounds and experiences becloud their vision of being change agents. This is the story of an Orphan, Jonathan Olakunle Olanlokun, a die-hard change agent whose seeming hardship can’t stop him from living for the good of his neighbor. For Jonathan, social works is his lifestyle.
For instance, at the 30th Anniversary of Victory Christian Church, Abule Oshin, Badagry Express Road, Jonathan shared that he voluntarily washed the toilet for the 5days of the event seeing its messy state. He recounted, “I came in to use the toilet only to discover its dirty state and took it upon myself to clean it for the sake of the guests." It was on the last day that someone gave him some money for his selfless service. He also shared how he attended a program and upon seeing the need for an usher volunteered to fill up the gap, a gesture which was greatly appreciated by the organiser. Last year he took permission to clean the dirty aluminum swing doors of the Nigerian Railway Corporation. He cleaned it alone for four days. This is aside other cleanups and humanitarian jobs he has done in Lagos, his formal base- Osogbo and other places. His belief is that the world will be a better place if we contribute our best for the other.
This motivation also saw him set up the Barbara Abike Epperson foundation, inspite of his low educational qualification, 18 years ago. Jonathan lost his work last March 2015, due to him being the sole financier of his foundation and also lacking the knowledge of raising funds for the foundation he established in the name of his grandmother- the American Baptist Missionary and Social Worker, Miss Barbara Abike Epperson.
Jonathan vowed to start an Expedition by continuing his humanitarian and social works in Lagos and any place his feet touches in Nigeria, as a full time responsibility even without supplies and provisions. In the process, Jonathan became a homeless person in the street of Lagos.
Despite this, Jonathan marveled himself by organizing a social change event at the prestigious Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos in July 2016. It was themed: Real Change Agents and their roles in Nigeria’s Socio-Economic Development: The Hope, Challenges and Prospects In a Depressed Economy. The laudable event had in attendance great minds such as – Mr. Dayo Isreal, CEO GLEEHD Foundation and Mr. Abiola Salami, CEO iamaCHAMP Ltd, Mr Bayo Fagbamila Jr from New York City University, Mr Emmanuel Fadahunsi of Toastmasters International and Coach Akeem . Jonathan remembered with pride that he has once been evicted from the hotel by one of the hotel security staff for allegedly attending free events at the conventional centre.
While talking about how this foundation that aims to cushion the plight of the needy came about, Jonathan explained that his late mother Caroline was adopted from birth at 8 days old as a motherless baby by Late Miss Barbara Epperson from Miami Oklahoma USA at Baptist welfare centre, Iree, Osun State, Nigeria in 1953.
Having been impacted by these heroes, he fell in love with social works. And the passion and tenacity to continue in their legacy saw the birth of the foundation despite his shallow academic profile.
“I was not a motivational speaker or a writer. I couldn't pen down a flawless line of sentence when I founded the Barbara Abike Epperson Foundation 18 years ago, but today I motivate, write, research and carry the message for a new Nigeria every where I go. The vision to impact positively on the next person beside me is more powerful than my impediment”. In the last nineteen months, Jonathan has been living under the bridge, motor parks, slums as he vows to continue his expedition to the next level and researching on the homeless and the high level of poverty in Nigeria and says he can’t determine where his next meal would come from. Nonetheless, the burning passion to help others would not allow him succumb to mediocrity. “I put aside my grief to help another, then go back to my grief,” and talking about how he has been coping with fending for himself he said, “I am a faith person. And every of my success has been God using few men for my benefit”.
Talking about his motivation to selflessness, Jonathan explained, If Miss Barbara Epperson did not adopt my late mother, I may not be alive today,” hence, “I have a vision to build an economically-viable, socially-dynamic and value-prosperous society through the collective support and cooperation of philanthropists, both individuals and corporate. This is what we live for at Barbara Abike Epperson Foundation,” he reiterated.
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