I was once an indomie seller - Victor Abba

Victor Abba(right) with Kenneth Okonkwo in a movie

"It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters”, a sage once said. You can choose to look for who to blame for your current predicament or do something about walking out of it. In an exclusive chat with yours sincerely, Victor Abba, one of Nollywood’s rising stars, shared his experience on overcoming unemployment and other setbacks on the road to carving a niche for himself in Nigeria's movie industry.

Abba, who hails from Enugu State, got admission in 2005 to study Computer Science at the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). However, his academic sojourn suffered a serious setback two years after as he lost his dad. This, he said, made him to drop out of school being the first born of his family, with four siblings to cater for.

The pain of losing a bread winner of the family can be shattering. Many of you know what I’m talking about, especially when the children of the deceased are left to their fate with no one to take care of them. It will only take the grace of God to pull through this harrowing period.

with Majid Michel

According to Victor, he hunted for jobs in Lagos for a long time all to no avail. Determined to make it, he decided to travel to Europe and that did not materialize too. He then took up low-end jobs to sustain himself and family, taught at a primary school and worked with a company that distributed Indomie noodles.“It was really an experience for me”, he said. “I learnt how to be patient.”

How his major breakthrough in the movies came

Abba said his major breakthrough in life came when he got an opportunity to feature in advert for a company that produced mattresses. He stated that after impressing during the advert production, the producer offered him another role, this time in a local movie for a religious body.

all smiles

Shortly after that he met the CEO of Presstora Productions Limited, Precious Okafor, who gave him his first major role in a movie titled, “Sorrowful Kingdom”, playing alongside stars like Ngozi Ezonu, Chika Ike, Yul Edochie and others.

“That movie was all I needed”, he said, pointing to the role the epic film played in bringing his talents to the fore. And since then, there is no looking back. He has continued to feature in other Nollywood movies. Victor Abba today has a burgeoning career and at the same time is running a program at the National Open University.

Selfie, with Mike Ezuruonye and Rex Nosa

Seeking to discover the secret of his turnaround and "never quit" attitude, I asked him what he thought had kept him going even through the hard times, to which he modestly responded, "God's grace and prayer".

In his parting shot, Abba advised youths in the country to look inward and discover their potentials and by so doing create meaningful source of livelihood for themselves and others. "It's true that government don't have enough jobs for millions of youths graduating from our universities every year, but there must be something you can do that no other person can; just try and that way you can create jobs too," he advised.

See more pictures of Victor Abba in action after the cut...

I began with this quote and will end with it, "It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters”. If you have a dream, muster the courage to pursue it. There is nothing that can stop one who is determined to make it against all odds. Stories such as this should spur you into action. Take baby steps, excel in smalls things and before you know it big opportunities will come calling.

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