Nigerian singer and entertainer, Portable, has opened up about his childhood struggles, street experiences and the lessons he learnt outside the classroom, saying life on the streets taught him valuable skills.
The singer made the disclosure during an interview on The Honest Bunch Podcast, where he spoke about losing his mother at the age of 13 and how the loss affected his upbringing.
Portable said that although there were people around him after his mother’s death, none could provide the same care and support she gave him.
He explained that his mother regularly provided him with food and pocket money, adding that after her death, he survived by engaging in small-scale businesses, including selling sachet water at Joju, inside School 3.
The singer also defended comments made by Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, encouraging unemployed Nigerians to embrace small-scale businesses.
According to him, many Nigerians misunderstood the First Lady’s remarks, stressing that several successful people in the country were raised through income generated from petty trading and other informal businesses operated by their mothers.
Portable maintained that small-scale businesses could be profitable, citing an experience during a visit to London, where he claimed to have seen a roasted corn seller who owned a Mercedes-Benz.