Aralola Olamuyiwa, an international African female talking drummer, has recalled how she became homeless after she abandoned her ‘Eko inspire me project’.
The drummer, popularly known as Ara stated that she lost everything and became hopeless in 2019 after selling her four cars and moving out of her house.
She disclosed this on Tuesday when she paid a courtesy visit to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, alongside beneficiaries of her project.
Ara said, “The ‘Eko Inspire me’ is an initiative to inspire hope in Lagosians who have lived in darkness and have been exposed to negative influences.”
She noted that the initiative began 10 years ago. However, she became frustrated and left the project in 2019 due to financial limitations, adding that she was forced to sell her property which made her homeless.
She added, “I was hopeless and homeless, I lost everything and it was someone that gave me a room in a hotel that I slept with my son for a year. I did not have anything, and I had to wait for kitchen food before I can survive.
“When people give me a token like N15,000, it looked like millions to me then. It was really terrible.
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“It was my late mum that came to my aid, prayed for me, and got me a car. I started afresh after COVID-19 and I am grateful to the governor for believing and supporting this ‘Eko inspire me’ project.”
Speaking further on her project, she explained that she intends to take drug addicts and illiterates out of Lagos streets and empower them.
Ara added, “A lot of them were not born like that, they were victims of circumstances. Our initiative will bridge the gap and give hope to these people on the Lagos streets.
“We are going to be doing auditions where we will discover new talents and also assist them in becoming something great.”
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos State Governor, lauded the entertainer for the initiative that will assist the government reach the less privileged on the streets.
He said, “My responsibility is to make life easy and comfortable for my citizens. Ara is doing part of our duties and we are going to support her in making sure that many people are taken from the streets.”
Source: Punch