Sammy Adjei, former Black Stars goalkeeper
I was astounded when I heard that the former Black Stars shot stopper was into toilet management.
Initially, I thought he had abandoned his football career to become a public toilet attendant only to find out that he has rather invested into this lucrative venture which others have failed to explore.
The caustic tongues did not spare him with their unsolicited remarks condemning him for degrading himself by going into a venture supposedly known to be the speciality of the less privileged.
In Accra which is the capital, you find people queuing at all times just to free their bowels.
Many landlords and landladies have converted lavatories into rooms, thereby denying tenants the opportunity to free their bowels as and when they feel like.
Tenants always live in discomfort because they always have to walk miles to the nearest public latrine when the need arises. The authorities who are to make sure that landlords provide washrooms for their tenants have also shirked their responsibilities.
The erstwhile mayor of Accra, Hon. Alfred Oko Vanerpuije decided to be tough on landlords without toilet facilities in their various homes, but it was short lived. People pay as much as 0.50p just to ease themselves.
Imagine a family of five visiting a toilet facility just twice a day, that is a whopping sum of GH5.00. That is how viable the toilet business is.
We live in a country where we despise our small beginnings. Everyone wants to do a white-collar job. Such jobs are classified to be prestigious. So we tend to run down people who are bold enough to take risks that we would not dare.
There are so many untapped opportunities which we as a country are failing to take advantage of. So I was very happy when Sammy Adjei decided to invest heavily in public toilets. I wonder why people are mocking him.
Are they doing that because he is a national star? Maybe they think he has dropped from grace to grass. If that is the reason, then I am happy to disappoint them that they are rather losing out on something profitable.
Sammy Adjei unlike some of his compatriots who after their illustrious careers become paupers because they wasted their money, time, and energy on frivolous things which did not yield dividends. He has decided to secure his future in order not to find himself wanting in the near future.
How are you planning your life towards retirement?
That day would surely catch up with you. You can play all the buffoonery, but do not joke with your future else you would curse the day you were born.
Find something profitable to invest in to serve as your backbone or security having at the back of your mind that you will one day grow old and the strength will be no more.
All those waiting for manna to fall from heaven before they make a move, be reminded that those days are long gone. It is either you create your own opportunities where there seems to be none or remain rooted to your seat and be crushed.
To the footballers, the glamorous lifestyles will come to an end one day. That is when you would appreciate the essence of investment. A serious injury could throw your career out of gear. How prepared are you for that day when such a calamity befalls you? Reduce investing in frivolities and invest in your future.
Our society must learn to encourage people who make frantic effort to make life better for themselves. Instead of belittling their efforts, rather we should augment their efforts with pieces of advice and words of encouragement to spur them on even in the face of adversity.
Sammy, let them continue to laugh and despise you, so long as humans will not stop emptying their bowels, your facility will continue to be your cash cow. Kudos for thinking ahead of others. Do not give up on what you have started.
It will one day be used as a reference point anytime discussions of prudent investments come up. Do not allow the comments of the shallow minded get to you. For all you know, inwardly, they are praying fervently for such an opening.
Manage your business well and you will never regret investing in such a profitable venture.