"You can take your leave, young lady!" The external examiner fired at my friend Dami who began to plead profusely. I knew the stakes were against her and if she didn't leave as ordered, she could put the remaining few of us who stood in the corridor waiting for our turn to be called in for oral examination. A few minutes later, Dami stepped out of the room sobbing silently and the least I could do was to give her a quick solidarity hug. I was next in line and needed to comport myself despite my head going blank from what the unfortunate incident had just played out.
I walked into the room where three examiners sat: two were familiar while the elderly-looking man in his sixties with an old-school tie I assumed was the external examiner sat in their middle, obviously still fusing about my friend. "Good morning sirs," I said in as much humble tone as I could muster, and rather than get a reciprocal greeting, I was gestured to sit on the only available chair facing the examiners.
"Do you also want to be a businessman?" The external examiner asked Irritably.
"No sir," I replied almost spontaneously. My response seemed to calm the external examiner a bit however not enough to douse the fire ignited by my friend. I had had previous oral examinations in the past but that particular one was the worst. I was generously bombarded with leftover frustrations and for a troubled mind already, my fate was spelled before me, and I would not pass the examination.
It was painful but I knew the little ray of hope and glow of passion was gradually being quenched. I located Dami after the examination and consoled her, careful not to disclose my experience to her so she would not add guilt to what she was going through. I knew we would have to resist the oral examination together and this we did about three months after, at least void of the external examiner as only a handful of us had to resit the examination.
Barely two years after the oral examination ordeal, I had become a medical professional but in addition to my practice, I had successfully written and prepared a business plan for a 100-acre farm land. Ridiculous I also thought to myself as the only resources I had were my ideas and visions for an estimted thirty-three million naira worth of farmland, except for the business plan I had developed. It was 2019, and it was going to be my first physical venture I was to go into. The resources I gained from medical practice were like a pinch of sand compared to the loads I needed. Thus, I began the search for grants and perhaps loans.
IMAGE IS MINE
I walked into the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) while in search of funds after registering my business name with Corporate Affairs Commission and getting a logo designed for my farmland. It was as though a wedding ceremony was set except for the bride so was my business plan without funds. Beautiful as my business plan was appreciated by the officer at BOA, he made me realize I could not get 10% of the required funds even after waiting months or years.
Undeterred, I began to put in for grant applications and auditions and one of such was the African Young Entrepreneurs Organization where I had to travel to other parts of the country in pursuit of help. I knew options were running out for me and upon further heart-to-heart conversations with my family, I resolved to do away with the fairies and focus on my medical path. I nursed with hurt the inability to meet up with my passions and continued clinical practice up until 2021 when I got a job offer in the health insurance industry, away from active clinical practice and being able to engage with other passions such as farming and even writing.
"But, you're still in the medical line at least." I asked Dami over the phone.
SCREENSHOT IMAGE IS MINE
"Yeah, not fully but I have a nongovernmental organization I manage in addition to my business, just to keep the flame of medicine in me." Dami replied over the phone about five years after medical school while we caught up.
"If you're content and happy, I guess that's a sign of fulfillment," I said as we reminisced on our past journeys through life and school.