Nigerian actor Joseph Benjamin, a seasoned figure in Nollywood, has shared an intriguing tale of his unexpected career shift to becoming a cab driver in the United States.
Benjamin recounted that he found himself in the taxi business after a rather disappointing turn of events upon his relocation to the U.S. Someone had promised him acting opportunities in America, which led him to make the significant move. However, his aspirations were dashed when the promised gigs fell through.
During his appearance on the latest episode of the “King of Talks” podcast hosted by comedian Teju Babyface, the 46-year-old actor revealed, “I got to America on a promise that I had some gigs waiting for me. So I thought I was going to have a soft landing there. I packed up everything from Nigeria, bought a one-way ticket, and came to America.”
He continued, “I was put in a well-furnished house and all of that. Then two days later, the person who I was supposed to book a deal with said to me, ‘Those our financiers have pulled out. They have an issue.’ So, I said, what do I do? He was like, ‘From next month on, you will have to start paying rent in this house.’ The amount of the one-month rent was equivalent to a one-year rent in Nigeria.”
Facing this predicament, Benjamin had to grapple with the harsh reality of earning a living in an unfamiliar environment. “I’m like, ‘I’m not earning any money so what do I do?’ I don’t know what to do. So, shot into that life, I had to figure out what to do. I had nowhere to go. Nothing to turn to. My phone was buzzing, like, ‘When are you coming back to Nigeria? We have this gig for you.’ Teju, $1,500 was all I came to America with. How do I buy a ticket to go back to Nigeria?.”
Despite his dire situation, Benjamin recounted his determination to overcome. “My life pattern then was so disorganised in the sense that I didn’t have a proper saving culture. With all the money I was making in Nigeria, my life was a m*ss. I sold my cars and gave out like 90 per cent of all my belongings in Nigeria.”
He further revealed, “I was like, I’m going to America to live a good life and all of that stuff. How do I buy a ticket to go back to Nigeria? Lord, what do I do? And God said to me that ‘Welcome to the life that I arranged for you. I needed to break you away from your comfort zone so that I can build you.’”
As he grappled with this new reality, Benjamin’s resilience shone through. He expressed, “I was like, ‘No, no, no …’ He was like, ‘Yes, welcome to it. So, here you are, now way to earn a living. How do you move forward?’ Then, sometimes I will be in my room crying. I’m like, ‘Lord where do I go from here?’”
He added, “ And for some reason every month I get to pay the rent. I got connected to my church. And then someone gave me a car. I’m like, what do I do with the car? And they said Uber. I was driving for Uber and Lyft to pay my bills.”
Joseph Benjamin’s unexpected journey from being a prominent Nigerian actor to becoming a cab driver in the U.S. underscores the resilience and adaptability individuals can exhibit when faced with unforeseen challenges in pursuit of their dreams.