MY GRACE STORY by Jonathan Olakunle Olanlokun.

MY GRACE STORY  

My name is Jonathan Olakunle Olanlokun. I was born to the family of Late Deacon Joseph Babatunde Olanlokun a Librarian of the University of Jos and Late Mrs Caroline Oladunni Olanlokun, a fashion Designer and Caterer. My mother was adopted by Miss Barbara Epperson, an American Baptist Missionary and Social Worker to Nigeria upon the death of her own biological mother, eight days after her birth at Iree, Osun State in 1953.  Miss Epperson  nurtured Caroline, my mother from birth to maturity, in the company of friends and caregivers. Caroline later became Miss Epperson’s interpreter, translating Yoruba to English for easier communication among the people of the community. Miss Epperson in return taught my mother how to bake cakes and other confectioneries.

My mother, from the stories, I heard was a very beautiful and caring mother but I did not enjoy this care for long. My mother died only a year and three months old after I was born, in March 1978. I grew up without motherly love and care but received sympathy from my aunts, grandmother and a caring father. Not long after my mother’s death, my father became our pillar of strength – my elder sister and I. This relief was however short-lived. Six years after my mother's death, my father became ill and passed on only after a few days. It was at this time that I became an orphan.

JONATHAN

JONATHAN

JONATHAN

This sad reality forced my elder sister and me to leave Ahmadu Bello University Staff School, Zaria in Northern Nigeria to a government school in Iree Osun State, Western Nigeria where we were left in the care of our dad, great uncle who happened to be a clergyman of great reputation in 1984.  My great uncle stood in place of our parents. Though orphaned, we began to hope again.  Miss Epperson, my mother’s foster parent, continued to shower love on my sister and me.  She bought us all we needed to settle in, including furniture and gave us almost everything that we needed before she retired back home in Miami. While she was away in America, she kept on writing letters to us. She even wanted us to come visiting in the States. She continued to send money to my elder sister and me before she died in 1994. My great uncle taught us how to farm. We were taught how to make heaps and this I believe taught me how to be hard working and tough. How to survive despite the circumstances around me.

JONATHAN'S MUM

She bought us all we needed to settle in ....including furniture and gave us almost everything that we needed before she retire back home in Miami.

JONATHAN'S DAD

In all this comfort, it took me some years before I realized that my parents were no more. This thought came intermittently and whenever it did, it made me cry silently for years. What made me extremely was the thought that I will never be able to see them again. I learnt from my family, friends and associates  that both my father and mother were extraordinary people and that in their short lifetime, they were known to many for their philanthropic efforts. They also served the Lord with all their heart. One of my dad’s colleagues later became the Chief Librarian of a University and another rose to become a University Vice-Chancellor. When I hear these news, I couldn’t help but think that could it have been my that my dad was alive and that could have been his story as well. But I have since realized that we don’t choose our story our story chooses us.

When I finished my secondary school in 1994, I failed my final exams. At that point, I became despondent and resolved not to further my education. This was partly because there was no inspiration whatsoever and mainly because I was constrained finance. It was so bad that I was introduced to the option of cheating. I shrugged of the option of cheating to pass my exams. I resolved then to go and get training at an Aluminum Technical company in 1996. I graduated and founded my company in year 2000. My business started to flourish only within four years of set-up. I could now afford to build my own residential apartment. As the first resident in the area, I enjoyed the privilege of nameing the street. I chose however to name it Barbara Abike Epperson Street.

DEACON JOSEPH BABATUNDE OLANLOKUN

MY MOTHER AT MISS EPPERSON CARE IN THE 50s

JONATHAN, MISS BARBARA EPPERSON AND ELIZABETH  

JONATHAN, MISS EPPERSON AND ELIZABETH.

I knew since then, how much passion I had for Community development. I just wanted to make so much money and aid development in my community as well as to guarantee better living for people in my community and environs. I committed to this cause until March 2015, when my Aluminum Company of sixteen years and Block Industry of eight years folded up in Oshogbo. It was exactly a week before the Nigeria Presidential Election conducted in 2015. I resolved to migrate to Lagos. I arrived Lagos with just N1000 naira left on me. In the first few days of my arrival, I put up with my friend in Ajuwo,  Ogun State, He welcomed me with great hospitality. I however told myself not to feel comfortable. I also didn't want to add my burden to his responsibilities as a family man. As a result, I decided to leave his place and seek green pastures, in the strange city of Lagos.

JONATHAN FINDING KNOWLEDGE.

I was ready to work but no one was interested in doing business with a stranger. I had no work, no money, no accommodation; I became homeless and penniless.  I knew I had to find a way. I ended up sleeping in motor parks and filling stations. At a time, I moved into a space at the Iddo Railway Terminus, under bridge. I slept at bus stops and slums etc. still left with nothing. I got confused and got depressed.  I did not know what to do. The little financial support I got from my friends into my bank accounts and the money I use for my feeding, transportation and social impact services.

AT BARBARA ABIKE EPPERSON FOUNDATION EVENT

JONATHAN

JONATHAN AND CHILDREN IN RURAL AREA OF WESTERN NIGERIA.

PATRIOTIC VOLUNTEERS OF BARBARA ABIKE EPPERSON FOUNDATION

JONATHAN FILLING POTHOLES

JO                   JONATHAN RAISING FUNDS THROUGH THE UNCONVENTIONAL METHOD

MISS EPPERSON BOOK

During my training as a technician I was able to lay my hand on my daddy's documents which contained correspondences between him and Miss Epperson, manuals, church programs and other important documents. One day I sat down to go through the whole documents just maybe I could find something. But what I found was not the intangible asset my parents had left me. I saw a new picture of how compassionate, kind, selfless, and God fearing my parents were.  In one of the letters, I learnt how Miss Epperson gave me the name Jonathan and the nickname Joni. I read Miss Epperson's letter to my dad the second day of my Mum's  death. This letter was everything. It lifted me up and I fell in love with whom my parents were.

MISS EPPERSON LETTER TO MY PARENT.

Miss Epperson passed on in December 9th 1994. I was moved and inspired by my family’s history and this jolted me into action. It birthed in me a new drive to give back no matter what it will cost. Putting a smile on people’s faces as did my parents and Miss Epperson became my goal. This incident inspired me to found The Barbara Abike Epperson Memorial Foundation (now Barbara Abike Epperson Foundation) while learning my technical work by helping people, by way of emulating the footpath of Miss Epperson.  So gradually the foundation grew and expanded the desire in me. So, I started to give more time to the foundation in which I am sole financial contributor. Despite all the money l realized from my company, l decided not to squandered it but use it as empowerment for the less privileged and community development projects. All I wanted was to see the greatness of the foundation I founded in memory of my grandmother. I gave more than 100% into everything about the foundation, I had no selfish interest in founding the Non-profit than to see a community, local government area, state, country, Africa and the world become a better place where poverty is reduced to the lowest level or even eradicated.

I got my relevance and familiarity  through the Unconventional ways, doing good, impacted lives of people in Osogbo that some people gave me the name Barbara and Epperson because of how I was touching lives. The three people who could have rendered help in order to reduced my stress and make great achievement in a haste, if I had ever had such a dream of starting a Foundation in their life time could have been my parents and my grandmother Miss Barbara Epperson but sadly death snatched all of them away, but still their memories live on.

OLAJUMOKE ORISAGUNA

THE ORISAGUNA'S

SUNDAY ORISAGUNA

Being an assiduous man I split my work experience into two. First, I started my company alone through which l got contract to make windows, doors, aluminum roofing, glass works from which I was able to build a house of my own. Second, when the business expanded, I began to take trainees and I ended up training up to twenty-three apprentices who today they are bosses of their own in their respective spaces with their own trainees. Some have built their own houses and bought cars.  Interestingly, my last  trainees is Sunday Orisaguna, the husband of Olajumoke Orisaguna the popular Jumoke the Bread seller who became model and got signed up with Payporte a e-commerce company as their Ambassador.  Something stood out about Sunday. Before he graduated as a trainee just a month after I relocated to Lagos, he unlike other trainees supported Barbara Abike Epperson Foundation, in his own little way. As a boss, I made sure I treated my trainees with respect and not like slaves. This is why I have maintained good relationship with a number of them and my joy today is that many of them are bosses in their own rights and are well established throughout the Country.

JONATHAN PRESENT BLOOD PRESSURE MONITOR TO HOSPITAL

In Lagos, trying to find a way out of my predicaments l got severe distraction most especially from my friends even my family members discouraged me concerning the Foundation.  Many thought it was a waste of time. I was provoked initially but later realized that if you want to attain success in this life you need to do away with distraction.

I eventually found my way then I realized that the reason why my work folded up due to the abnormalities occurring in the country. For me to go through displeasure and then start an expedition, research on many abnormalities in Nigeria, get knowledge that will further take me through my life journey here on earth, get to know new businesses that could earn me money afterwards. I realized in the course of all these how wicked and unkind we human beings are to one another. The rate at which people are suffering is heart wrenching. I look to God every day for divine grace. I appreciate those people whom God has sent to me both in physically and on social media

In Lagos, I started to meet people and build strong network. Indeed, a man’s network is his net worth. Through the support of people, I am conquering and overcoming my challenges gradually. These good Samaritans further strengthened my resolved to give back. I pray for longevity of life in good health and great wealth to all those family members and organizations that have supported me thus far. God bless them. I may not be able to repay them but God can and may He crown their efforts here on earth by securing for each one of my helpers a beautiful place in His presence in heaven. I wouldn’t have made it through my dark days without them.

My Company BJB Epperson Nigeria Limited and The Barbara Abike Epperson Foundation are a life dream come true through my supporters recent help. I implore my supporters not to stop now and carry this vision, with me even to the ends of the world. God bless you, every readers of this article, so that you can bless more lives.

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