Career Story: Babs Omotowa – Saw Shell Graduate Advert at Motor Park, Rest is History
An inspiring story by Babs Omotowa, former Shell Executive and CEO of Nigeria LNG on his blog
Having taught 2-years at a college in Ilorin, during which I completed MBA in early 90s, the ‘meager’ salary as a teacher, meant I had only ‘survived’ because I was living with my parents.
As a result, I took the decision to seek greener pastures. I dreamt of breaking through in the private sector and living a more comfortable life.I decided to relocate to Lagos (300km away) the nation’s then capital and a bubbling commercial center, to search for work. This would require me to squat with friends and family, and struggle to feed, but I was prepared to put in the toil, sweat, and blood.
I frantically searched for a job and applied to hundreds of vacancies that I saw in newspapers, those sent to me by family and friends, as well as any vacancy that I saw posted on buildings and fences, as I walked the streets of Lagos.
Several months later, without yet securing a job, I decided to visit Ilorin, to spend Christmas with my parents and siblings, as a short cool off, and to replenish nourishment and possibly scrape some change. I traveled with a friend, Ade, who had been my MBA classmate, and was also living in Lagos.
At the public motor park, I bought a newspaper, and in the vacancy section, there was an advert by Shell Nigeria, for management trainee graduate positions. I showed Ade, suggesting we apply. His response was that such companies reserved jobs for children of influential people, not children of civil servants like us. I told him we had nothing to lose, and besides, being international company, their hiring process may be based on merit. He laughed and said he did not have time to waste on such.
I mailed my application at the post office in Ilorin before we returned to Lagos. A few months later, I received an invitation letter to attend a written test at the Shell office in Port Harcourt. Ade laughed at this and said, ‘They are just using your likes to make up the numbers and give the process credibility, but they have already decided on who they would employ”. Don’t waste your time, he concluded.
I traveled with the night bus to Port Harcourt and wrote the test, at the end of which the recruiters paid me an in-lieu for my expenses. On return to Lagos, I let Ade know but he shrugged, insisting it was a wasted journey. This experience was repeated on three other occasions that I received letters to return for further tests and interviews, and on each occasion, Ade was dismissive.
Nearly a year after my application, several tests, and interviews, I was invited for a medical test. Ade was somewhat surprised, but still skeptical. I attended and would subsequently receive in the post, an employment letter from Shell Nigeria. I later understood the selection of a few of us was out of several thousands of applications received.
Ade burst into tears when I showed him the employment letter. They were not tears of joy but of disappointment in himself. He said ‘This was an opportunity that was equally available to me and I should have applied when you encouraged me, but my disbelief got the better of me”. ‘Don’t be hard on yourself’ i responded. He composed himself and said, ‘Congrats, this is worth celebrating. Let us go out!’
To work for Shell was a dream come true. I had been determined in leaving Ilorin for Lagos and had not been discouraged by the harsh living, hundreds of rejections of my applications or by the cynicism.
I learned one must not be distracted in pursuit of one’s dream no matter how high the bar and obstacles are, but approach with determination, perseverance, sheer grit, and going against the grain.
I learned that cynics are their own worst enemies. Negative disposition, naysaying and wallowing in excuses, are unhelpful to individuals, as they lead nowhere but to despair and missed opportunities.
Success requires absolute commitment, positive mindset and a sharp focus on a set goal, and with God, dreams do come true!
