Invention, creating more jobs


Mrs. Charity Oshi, is an inventor of beaded styles like bags, foot wears and others. She never ventured into this business until a ponzi scheme, MMM defrauded her. BINTA SHAMA reports.

Beaded stuff like neckwear, earrings, bags, shoes and even mats have become so trendy and African in our homes, cars, workplace and so on which is really appreciated now.

So far according to the inventor, Mrs Oshi, has said the invention started right from her University days, but never took it serious because she had all it takes to be comfortable not until she got defrauded by the famous MMM sometimes back that took her back to square one.

The birth of the invention

“It all began when I was punished by my parents one Christmas holiday to go and spend with my dad’s (very strict) sister in the village that was into hand-made invention of just anything she placed her hands on.

“It was a very rough holiday, spending it away from my siblings and friends I was always fond of. But one very good part of it all, I came out imparted with the mantle to be creative as well as invent for myself and people around me the needful at a very cheap price.

“The interest of bead making came up when I had no one to play around with nor having places to visit like back at home. My aunt of blessed memory, was always strong willed whenever our parents sent us to her in disguise of keeping her from worrying or being depressed.

“Being a bead maker automatically forced anyone around her to fall in love with it. She, back then, only made flower vases of different sizes and shapes because she was a good lover of nature (flowers), my opinion though.

“I took interest because it had no form of stress whatsoever. I sometimes ventured into going for earrings and neck bead but opted out because of the great demand and focus.”

The invention

“I started way back in my midway to the tail end of finishing my tertiary education. It was seasonal and based on request by interested customers. Being creative, I wanted to stand out which I did but was not popularly known as such. 

“And as a lover of foot wears and bags, spending too much cash on affording some of these things made me to venture into it when I got married, expecting my first child. I manufactured randomly without any order, I did very well to the extent of saving money on every sale to acquire a shop like a warehouse in Kuje area, but rather than doing the needful, I went ahead to divert the money made for the proposed site and materials into the investment that collapsed even before it began.

“I first and second time I ventured into it, it worked, I later went into it the third time with my whole savings and that was it till date. All gone, I am still trying to recover from that dilemma. All I can say is thank God I did not lose it all, with the Almighty on my side and my loving husband, who indeed stood by me through the test of time. At a point, I lost it, I nearly went into depression, but with encouragement from loved ones and friends boosted my emotional and psychological state up. And that is why I can boldly speak to you, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t get agitated sometimes when the thought comes on me. 

“I realised that most ladies love what is trendy and fashionable. As a student back in the days, I saw how ladies really went for fairly used bags, shoes and wears. It generally gave me a kind of internal motivation to come up with a solution to aid their innermost desires and we had ladies that were not into fairly used things, interested in good stuff, but did not have the money to afford new stuff. Accessing you as a person I will know what exactly to charge you and what you will like as well, and I might not charge too much but something worth my time.

“I chose to do it at my past back then, because of school, lectures, expectation from home and so on. But now being independent but still very busy with the home runs having children, I have still settled back like when I was in school. It was much easier when I had my finances in place because I had more hands to help that I was paying salaries to at my paste. But for now, I am trying to pick up and all the hands I have supporting me now though few are more or less marketers. 

“For instance, is either you fetch me investors that might desire to invest in it, customers that might have interest for a resell or personal use, or I train you in exchange of producing for me in the absence of payment.

Funding and cost of items

“Well, I haven’t got sponsors yet. At the initial stage it was the support from my family financially that boosted me up before the incidence took place but I pray that via the medium I find financial intervention. The business is very lucrative and you can start with as little as five thousand naira but what is best here is when you have a lot at hand sampling varieties fetches you more patronage and money in the account.

“By the time I pick up as desired, I intend to start a company which will train passionate people on how to come up with their own creative invention to bring about solutions in the lack of job creativity the nation is suffering as well as give room to develop and expand their skills in this area to counter various issues facing our society,” she says.

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