Emmanuel Ilori arrived in Cape Town from Nigeria in 2012 expecting to be met by a “travel agent” recommended by a friend. Ilori had sent the agent money for his fees and accommodation at the University of the Western Cape but it turned out the man was a fraudster.
Ilori had no money left to return to Nigeria and also none to start a new life in South Africa. He also had nowhere to stay and was stranded. A church took pity on him and allowed him to sleep in a Sunday school room while he found work as a security guard.
Today, Ilori has been conferred with a doctorate in public administration at UWC‚ where he is an associate lecturer in the school of government‚ economics and management sciences.
Narrating his story, Ilori said:
“I wasn’t going to ask my parents for money‚ because I left there with a commitment to my dad not to worry about me financially.
‘Tough times don’t last‚ but tough men do’‚ is what my dad used to teach me‚ and I often held on to those words.”
Eventually, Ilori swallowed his pride and raised money from extended family in Nigeria‚ registering late for his honours degree in business‚ and later in 2012 he took part in the UWC/Oklahoma State University exchange programme‚ assisting young people in Khayelitsha and Gugulethu.
