"Exactly Twenty Years Ago, I Was Hopeless, I Had Just Failed JAMB After My Third Try..." - Blessing Adesiyan

Businesswoman recalls how her father went above and beyond to make sure she moved to the United States after failing JAMB for the third time in 20 years.

"Exactly twenty years ago, I was hopeless, I had just failed JAMB after my third try, I was sitting on this tattered chair in the small bedroom I shared with my five younger siblings. Here, I decided I was going to go after my dreams of studying in America.

"In the second picture, exactly 14 years ago today, my father who started this journey to ensure his child studied in one of the most renowned universities in the world saw it to the end. I graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida, a top 5 public university, after four years of studying and interning four times at Fortune 100 companies.

"If you've ever doubted that God exist, my testimony is your answer. What God cannot do does not exist, and we are walking examples of answered prayers of our parents. We don't talk enough about our Fathers, their dreams for us, their relentless prayers, and undoubted sacrifices. My father had encouraged me to pick up the SAT forms after he overheard his very rich friend talking to his daughter lovingly on the phone in Maryland USA.

"Ah Daddy. Okay, no problem. I will think about it. No, I hear the place is called MET, you can go there tomorrow. He is 500 naira for your transportation. That 500 Naira changed my life. I went to MET, an SAT preparatory school where I ended up studying for the SAT, and passing in flying colors.

"My father didn't have a dollar to his name, remember? So it was all a dream right? We need to talk more about our Nigerian parents who despite the shackles of coloni@lism, the harsh conditions of military and civilian regimes; they did all that they could with the little that they had to give us a future of abundance and wealth. Many of our parents sold everything they had for us, many borrowed money, traveled with the last kobo they had to far places to pull on favors for us. I want us to talk about them, they are worth celebrating.

"Our parents are legends."