In 2020, all I had was ₦20,000 I made from my days of playing Bet9ja.
My girlfriend at the time, who is now my wife, was a fresher at the University of Ibadan and needed some money to start a business.
I honestly didn’t think twice.
I sent her the money and supported her as she started her perfume business.
Later that same year, I made some really bad decisions.
A friend and I took money from some friends to trade with, and we lost everything.
We ran into serious debts, and things became crazy.
I had to sell almost everything I had.
I was depressed.
I got to a point where I considered selling one of my kidneys just to pay off the debts.
I even considered suicide.
Yeah, it was that terrible.
But while all of this was happening, something else was happening too.
My girlfriend’s business was growing.
And not just growing a little.
It was doing really well.
She was young. Beautiful. A student. She had her own money. She had every reason to walk away from a man who had nothing to offer at that point.
But she stayed.
She took care of me.
She fed me.
She clothed me.
She supported me.
She stood by me through what was probably the lowest point of my life.
Looking back now, I realise that she could have left.
There were probably many women who would have.
She had enough reasons to choose herself and walk away.
But she didn’t.
She stayed.
Today, when I think about the woman I have beside me, I don’t just see my wife.
I see the young girl who believed in me when I had nothing.
I remember those sacrifices.
I remember those difficult days.
And I just want to say:
Thank you, my woman. ❤️
Thank you for staying.
Thank you for believing.
Thank you for loving me when loving me wasn’t convenient.
I will never forget.
Gaius Chibueze (born 3 March 1988) is an African/American based businessman and tech entrepreneur.
He is known as Africa’s first Bitcoin investor, having entered the space in 2011. He is currently based in Miami, Florida, where he is building TalkChop, one of America’s fastest-growing social dining apps.
TalkChop helps people meet new people in their city over food, tackling the growing problem of urban loneliness in busy cities.
For more https://t.co/z3bsXIj18r!
For press & other inquiry [email protected]
A Memoir to Gaius Chibueze @ 38
Today I turn 38, and I am deeply grateful to God for another year.
As I lie on my bed this morning, I reflect on my life’s journey and trajectory, and I appreciate more than ever how God has kept and protected me through the years.
Born in a small village Agbokim Waterfall in Cross River State, I grew up imagining my life would turn out this beautiful.
Sometimes I feel that if God were to ask for permission of who to bless, they would not have chosen me. Just like when Samuel came to Jesse’s house to anoint a king and everyone was mentioned except David. Who would have thought it would be me?
My life story is wrapped around two Bible stories.
First, the story of Abraham, when he was asked to sacrifice his son and had no lamb. Each time he asked God, God said, I will provide when you get there. Jehovah Jireh. Genesis 22:14. That has been my story. At every turn of my life, God always went ahead of me. Help was waiting before I arrived.
Second, the story of the widow of Zarephath, who was about to eat her last meal with her son and die, but God sent Elijah and declared that her oil and wheat would not run out until the famine ended. 1 Kings 17:14.
I have rarely known lack. Each time it seems my oil and wheat are about to finish, God always makes a way. Even from the days I sold black market fuel in Abuja at 14, I have never truly run out of good things.
In Igbo cosmology, everyone has their own Chi. I often say my Chi really likes me, because my kernel has always been cracked.
At 38, I have lived longer than the only female I shared a womb with, my sister Blessing Ekuri, and the only male I was born of the same father and mother, my elder brother Amobi. That alone gives me every reason to be grateful.
And at 38, I am blessed with two smart sons who do not joke with me.
On the last slide, listen to the funny audio they sent me. When they heard about the war between America and Iran, my 7 year old son OHAMADIKE thought the war was inside America and called me to leave the USA before I end up dead like my father in Nigeria 😆.
Life is deep, humbling and I feel very loved and blessed.
Today, I take time to reflect. 🙏🏿