By Patricia Uyeh

Nimat Siaka hails from Kogi state and she was crowned Miss Curvy Nigeria Tourism in October 2015 towards the end of her national youth service assignment. She had her birthday on November 29th. She celebrated by hawking tomatoes at the market for her birthday photo-shoot.

According to her, she chose to appreciate and encourage hawkers because they are the most important set of people: the less privileged, the unnoticed, the undervalued, and the under-appreciated mighty ones we Nigerians tend forget so easily.

This is what she wrote:

“A CREED ON MY BIRTHDAY
”A taste of a well sweetened cake and a sip of fine tasty wine I crave. To be showered with flamboyant gifts and surrounded by the high and mighty, did I imagine. To be celebrated in front pages of newspapers, magazines, blogs, surely crossed my mind. But the reality is, it’s not now. It’s GONNA HAPPEN sooner and in the FULLNESS OF TIME…

”I will get there not by hook or by crook but by work, by impact and by influence…

”I shall not be desperate; I shall not be intimidated; I shall not be stopped; I will thread where no path has crossed; I shall break new grounds; I will chart a new course.

”I will follow my passion… & on this note*** Today (my most treasured day) I choose to identify with the most important set of people: the unnoticed, the undervalued, and the under-appreciated MIGHTY ones we forget so easily. I mean the market women- the petty traders, the hawkers.

”I choose to honour and encourage those who dedicate their time and life in bringing home-breed, locally-sourced fresh food items into our markets.
”They go through the pains of hawking goods, bringing them
closer to us. Even when we underprice their goods, insult them they remain upbeat.
”One good thing about them is they never stopped believing, they never stopped being positive about life. They will tell you “akuku daa l’ojo kan”. They never stopped dreaming big even from their small but honest hustles.

”I know “lojokan” by dint of hard work they are going to raise kings and queens- children that will take them from the street to the throne! Their gifted hands will make room for them. Their stories will sure one day be from tomatoes to thrones… *** BE INSPIRED*** …

”Happy birthday to me!!”

See her photos below:

Photo credit: yabaleftonline