Dielamo Oyeghe Becomes a Tony Elumelu Entrepreneur on His 5th Application
My TEF journey started in 2016, one year after the launch of the Tony Elumelu Foundation’s Entrepreneurship Programme. I had applied for the programme 5 times including the 2018 August supplementary application.
I submitted my first application in 2016 but I was not selected. When I look back at that application, I was not surprised that I did not make the list. I studied it and asked myself what I needed to do to improve my next application. Immediately, I started putting things into action.
I applied again in 2017 but to my surprise, I was not picked! I traced my steps again, looked into it my application and spotted one or two deficiency areas. 2018 is another year!
Come 2018, I put in my application again but my application was rejected a third time! At this point, I thought of changing my business idea and people around me agreed that I should change it. Perhaps, that is why my application was not going through. However, one thing kept holding me back. I was so passionate about my business idea that no amount of frustration could make me change it.
Fast forward to 2019, I dusted the same idea once more and applied for the Programme. March 22 came, the d-day, the day I get to find out if I would make it. The tension was so much so I that I had to ease off by watching the Nigeria Vs Seychelles match. I had to cool off the anxiety.
Later in the evening I decided to check the list. I scrolled past the entire Nigeria shortlist and my name was not on the list. At this point my heart was about jumping out. I checked the Nigeria shortlist again. A little flicker of hope lit up in me. All of a sudden, right there, almost at the bottom of the Nigeria section was my name, “Oyeghe Dielamo Miederi!”
I screamed for joy.
With persistency, courage and determination, no amount of times and trials can deny you your dream.
Join our list
Subscribe to our mailing list and get interesting stuff and updates to your email inbox.