Bread seller turned model Olajumoke Orisaguna popularly known as Olajumoke Onibread has shared her struggles after years of hiatus from the public.
Olajumoke shared her journey during a press conference organised by the Cardinal Foundation led by Doja Allen, CEO of City 105.1 FM on Wednesday in Ikeja, Lagos.
The event which also had Azuka Ogujiuba of Mediaroomhub, OAP Ibukun Adeoye and TVC MD Morayo Afolabi-Brown in attendance marked Olajumoke’s official announcement of her comeback.
Olajumoke who rose to fame after being discovered by photographer TY Bello in 2016, recounted how she made critical mistakes that strained her relationships with her benefactors, including Azuka.
“I have suffered a lot,” she confessed.
“But I thank Azuka and TY Bello for not giving up on me. My advice to those coming behind me is to work hard and never bite the finger that feeds them. I made many mistakes, but I’ve learned my lessons and want others to learn from my story.”
She described how her decision to leave Azuka’s mentorship for a new manager, Victoria led to financial mismanagement and exploitation.
According to Olajumoke, someone named Victoria handled all her earnings, often underpaid her and left her struggling despite lucrative modelling gigs.
“I want to be educated. If I was educated my former handler Victoria wouldn’t have taken advantage of me the way she did.
“If we got a job, she was the one that would tell me how much was to be paid. I didn’t know anything. I had a lawyer who was supposed to help me but things just didn’t go well.
“I travelled to South Africa for Soweto Fashion Week and was paid a lot of money. I didn’t know exactly how much but Victoria just told me we were travelling. I was happy but when we returned from the trip, Victoria said I would pay for my accommodation, return ticket and feeding in South Africa.
“She gave me just N200,000 naira at the end of the trip. We travelled to South Africa for another trip and Victoria only gave me N50,000 naira. I accepted it because I didn’t know how much I was paid by the organisers of the event we went for.
“I finally realised she was not helping me, but setting me back. I had two children to cater for. When the two-year contract I signed with her ended, I told her I wasn’t working with her again and she should give me my Instagram account password but she refused.
“I told Azuka about it and she assured me we would get the Instagram account from Victoria but still refused.”
“If I had been educated, I wouldn’t have fallen victim to people taking advantage of me. Parents should ensure their children go to school. Whatever you do, let your children be educated because that’s why we struggle.”
She also expressed gratitude to her supporters, particularly the renowned TY Bello who played a pivotal role in her rise to fame.
After reconciling with Azuka, Olajumoke has been given another chance to rebuild her career. Azuka revealed that despite warnings from colleagues, she chose to forgive Olajumoke and help her restart her life.
“When she apologised, many advised me not to take her back, but she had already earned a place in my heart. Everyone makes mistakes,” Azuka said.
Through Azuka’s connections, Olajumoke is currently interning at City 105.1 FM where she is preparing to host her show, Kílón Shéle.
Born in 1989 in Osun State, Olajumoke worked as a hairstylist before moving to Lagos to sell bread and support her family.
While she was working in Lagos, she was caught in the background of a picture taken by TY Bello while she was photographing the British rapper Tinie Tempah.
While later reviewing and editing the images she had taken, Bello decided that Olajumoke had potential as a model.
