I Relied on TikTok After My ‘Okrika’ Business Failed During Covid – Media Personality, Jay On-air

Media personality Joseph Onaolapo aka Jay On-air has made a confession. According to him, he relied on selling secondhand clothes, known as ‘Okrika’, to survive after quitting his corporate job due to unpaid salaries and a feeling of being undervalued during the COVID. He spoke during an interview with Chude Jideonwo. He said, “I want to roll with the big boys and big girls and all of that. I came to Lagos from Benin. In two seconds, they were employing me. I sent my CV to every radio station. Every radio station. Nothing happened. “I found a way to work with an online radio station. It did not quite pan out like I wanted. That’s how I got into the corporate world. Worked as an executive assistant. Worked as a communication executive. “…Was owed salaries a lot. I was treated like I was not worth anything. That all just crippled me. And then, eventually, I left the job. And I started a business.” Feeling crippled and undervalued, Jay On-air detailed how he made a bold decision to leave his job and start his own business. He ventured into selling okrika, which surprisingly flourished, and he became known as the “shorts guy,” with people coming to him to buy shorts. However, he said the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown brought his business to a standstill. With no job and no income, Jay On-air said he was left stranded, and he discovered TikTok and began creating content, initially just for fun. According to him, he started live-syncing sounds and soon found solace in creating content. He said, “And COVID-19 hit. I am like, oh my God. The business just, well, because it’s buying clothes. “I was selling Okrika by the way. And it was becoming a thriving business. I was becoming the shorts guy. People would come to me to buy shorts. I tried. This one was actually starting to work. It was starting to work. I remember, I am a big fan of Waje. And I remember she was having a concert at the time. And I could afford it. “Right. To use this money. So it was such a big deal to me. And it just hit me because of N10,000. And COVID-19 hit. Yeah. And everything just. Silent. Became silent. I was home. I didn’t have a job. Nothing was working for me. And then people were on TikTok. And I was just like, what is happening here? “And that is how I, you know, got on TikTok. Live syncing sounds. Just to have fun. And that’s why I love creating so much. Because when I was depressed. When I was sad. I wake up in the morning. I have my bath. I have my shower. I would be on TikTok. How many sounds can I create in one hour? How quickly can I live sync sounds.”