Nigerian luxury influencer Waris Akinwande Olayinka, popularly known as Ola of Lagos, has opened up about the difficult experiences he went through before becoming one of the country’s recognised voices in the luxury and automobile space.
Ola of Lagos, who revealed that he once slept under a Lagos bridge, said his journey was marked by financial struggles, hard labour and a determination to change his circumstances.
Speaking on the Key-to-Keys Podcast, the influencer recalled earning just ₦18,500 monthly at the beginning of his working life.
With the income barely enough to support himself and his family until the next payday, Akinwande said he had to find additional sources of income to survive.
He took on various menial jobs, including washing clothes, cleaning houses, scrubbing floors and washing cars for wealthy residents in areas such as Lekki and Ikoyi.
Rather than depending on people or resorting to begging, he said he chose to work and look for opportunities wherever he could find them.
Akinwande recalled trekking from Ikoyi to Lekki in search of wealthy residents who might offer him work.
“So I’m like, okay, let me look for a side hustle, and I used to trek then from Ikoyi actually to Lekki, you know, looking for big men and big women to talk to and like, sir, ma, I can actually clean your house,” he recalled.
How he became Ola of Lagos
Akinwande said his strong connection to Lagos eventually inspired the name by which he is now widely known.
He recalled one of his walks from Ikoyi to Lekki, when he saw the Lekki Bridge and was impressed by the structure.
The sight made him reflect on his love for the city and eventually inspired his now-famous identity.
“So when I used to walk from Ikoyi to Lekki, one day I was walking, and I saw this Lekki Bridge, and I’m like, oh, I love Lagos, Ola of Lagos. So that is how the name Ola of Lagos came up,” he said.
How car spotting began
Although he is now popular for showcasing expensive and exotic cars on the streets of Lagos, Akinwande said becoming a car spotter was never part of his original plan.
He explained that his interest in automobiles naturally drew him towards the activity, which he initially did simply because of his passion for cars.
“So I didn’t plan to become a car spotter. I started spotting cars out of passion,” he said.
Akinwande said he would spot exotic vehicles after finishing work while making his way home. At the time, however, he did not have a mobile phone capable of recording videos.
He eventually bought a basic phone before upgrading to a device that allowed him to record and share videos of the cars he encountered.
His excitement while seeing some of the expensive vehicles also gave rise to the catchphrase that became closely associated with his content: “Oh my God, it’s plenty, stop playing.”
Leaving home in search of a better life
Akinwande said his decision to leave his hometown for Lagos was driven by his determination to change his family’s circumstances and create a better future.
He said he arrived in Lagos without anyone to depend on, but remained determined to find opportunities and succeed.
“I need to make it out of my family. I’m not sure anybody else has really rise from my family. Yeah, so I’m like, no, no, no, I have to change this whole story,” he said.
He explained that he eventually left his hometown for Lagos in search of better opportunities despite having no established support system in the city.
“Then I left home, my hometown. I left there to come to Lagos to come and seek greener pastures. Mind you, I don’t have anybody here,” he added.
From earning ₦18,500 a month and taking on physically demanding jobs to building a career around luxury automobiles and lifestyle content, Akinwande’s story reflects the difficult beginnings behind his current public profile.
Today, Ola of Lagos has become known for showcasing exotic cars, luxury houses and high-end lifestyles to his large social media audience.
His rise from financial hardship and humble beginnings to becoming a prominent figure in Nigeria’s luxury content space has become a major part of the story behind his success.
