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LAPO Is Good To Women

Eje Okpu
It is the desire to break link with poverty that influenced Mrs. Eje Okpu's decision to join LAPO in 1997. She needed a working capital to invest in her micro enterprise.

Born at Akumazi, a town in Delta State, Mrs. Okpu who is aged 43 was born into the family of Mr. and Mrs. Edemodu. Presently, she resides at No. 1, Farm Road, Umunede, with her family of three boys and four girls.

Her journey in LAPO started with an encounter with one of her friends, Victoria. Victoria, it was, who told her that there is a microfinance organization committed to poverty alleviation through micro credit support and skills development of the very poor in the society. She was equally told that the loan repayment conditions are friendly, unlike that of most formal institutions and moneylenders.

Okpu's socio-economic condition prior to the period of registration as a client of LAPO was nothing good to talk about. Like most Nigerian children, she suffered a lot of privations. Her father, Mr. Alade Edemodu died when she was only five years of age. This unfortunately shifted the responsibility of her early care and education to her poor mother, Catherine. Her mother, she says, loves education and would have gladly facilitated the process if she had had the financial wherewithal to do so. Profit from her petty business of melon, pepper, coconut, rice and beans, etc could not meet the rising family budget.

Mrs. Okpu is undoubtedly a woman of rare vision and determination. She hated economic subservience and idleness right from the word go. Little wonder therefore that she decided on a career in business at a very tender age. ?It was clear to me that without good education, the chance of getting a challenging job is remote, she says. Without any formal education and with the absence of any life-sustaining skill, doing business to survive readily appeared to her as the best option. Thus, on attaining maturity, she started to accompany her mother to the market to assist in selling. This is how the actualization of her age-long dream began.

As she grew older and older, the thought to float her own business empire started to prod her mind. She thus began an earnest search for capital. Through the support of family members and close friends, she managed to raise a little capital to start a trade in raw yams. Just the way her mother got started, she would buy yams, arrange then aesthetically on a table situated in front of her house and then would sell to consumers in the neighbourhood. Although the business attracted little profit, which was a factor of under capitalization, she continued in it for years, hoping for success.

The marriage she contracted with Mr. Eli Okpu, a commercial driver in 1979 almost altered her vision and career focus as a businesswoman. Her husband initially fought against her plans to do business. Each time she brought up the issue for discussion, she was rebuffed. The reason was that Mr. Okpu considered it an unnecessary burden on his lovely wife. Of course, finance was not a major headache to him as at then. He was doing very well in his transport business. He had 3 pick-up vans and a taxi for the purpose. In addition to this, he had a thriving oil palm business.

On the other hand, Mrs. Eje Okpu was resolute and determined. She desired economic independence and self-dignity more than all the other arguments put forward. She realized that without any complimentary role on her part, her husband might not on the long run be able to pick all the bills of the family. She was concerned about the future and tried to convince her husband. ?The future cannot be predicted; you cannot do it alone; school fees must be paid, children must be clothed; rent must be paid; hospital bills must be settled and all that.? She was very careful also not to allow her childhood experience to be replicated in her children, hence her determination to create a life-sustaining economic activity for herself.

Moreover, she was uncomfortable with the idea of just sleeping idly at home all day. With all these boggling her mind, she fought very hard against every untoward attempt to cut her well-articulated dream short. Her sustained pressure later yielded results. Her husband had no choice but to grant her permission and financial support to embark on her chosen type of business yam selling. This was later in 1980.

For a period close to a decade, the family recorded no financial hitch. Everything worked according to plan for all of them. Life is dynamic and unpredictable. Later on, the once happy family began to face some unpredicted financial depressions. A lot of factors were responsible for the sudden decline in their economic fortune.

Business was no longer rosy for her husband. His income could no longer match the fast growing family budget. Being the first son of his family, the responsibility of the educational and social development of his younger ones came to rest squarely on his shoulders. The responsibility to his children was equally there. Also, the income from his oil palm business dwindled with time due to mismanagement by workers whose duty it was to manage it.

To worsen the situation, the naira became weakened by hyperinflation that characterized the recession in the economy in the 1980s. At this negative development, Mrs. Okpu became concerned. Her earlier fears became real. She was however undeterred. Her intervention was prompt. After due consultation with her husband, she took over the oil palm business and started a serious effort to re-capitalize it for more profit generation.

The search for funds took her to various places but success was far in coming. She was deeply worried as a result of this. The few moneylenders who showed interest demanded exorbitant interests. She was still plunged in this sea of depression when the news of Life Above Poverty Organisation (LAPO), a micro finance institution reached her through Victoria, a friend of hers.

She initially received the news with lots of skepticism wondering about the genuineness and how an institution could just give capital without any collateral security. But when she was enlightened about it, she wholeheartedly embraced the idea and joined.

Okpu later participated in a series of pre-loan and micro business trainings, which qualified her for her first loan of N8, 000 in 1997. Having proven her integrity through the prompt repayment of her first loan from LAPO, she became a recipient of another of N15, 000. With more and more loans coming from LAPO, her business started to record unprecedented growth and development. Gradually, the impact started to show on the socio-economic condition of her family.

She is now able to augment her family income to meet basic necessities such as food, shelter, clothing and education. This has in no small measure relieved her once hesitant husband.

Instead of buying palm fruits (banga), Mrs. Okpu now hires plantations. She says it is more profitable to do so. ? LAPO has been the source of my business funding. With LAPO, I can now hire plantations. I never thought I could hire plantations. They were only cutting palm fruits (banga) for me to buy at a costlier rate.?

Mrs. Okpu says she sells about N50, 000 worth of palm oil every market day and makes a least N5, 000 as profit. She plans to buy oil-milling machines and expand the scope of her business.

She said she would approach LAPO for asset loans to purchase income-generating assets. Besides Umunede, she sells in other neigbouring markets such as Igbodo, Oyoko and Ogwashi-uku.

Okpu, who is now a very strong member of LAPO, encourages other women to join, as ?LAPO is good to women.?

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