In a poignant revelation, Blessing Osimhen, the older sister of Nigerian football star Victor Osimhen, has detailed the severe hardships the family endured while growing up in the Olusosun area of Ojota, Lagos. Her account highlights a stark journey from abject poverty to global fame for the Super Eagles striker.
A Childhood Defined by Struggle
Victor Osimhen and his five siblings were exposed to the harsh realities of poverty from a very young age. Their mother passed away when Victor was just five years old, leaving their father to single-handedly care for the large family. The Osimhens lived in a single room in the Olusosun suburb, an area notorious for its massive dump site, waste pickers, and extreme urban poverty.
Blessing, speaking on a YouTube channel called Smallie for a feature titled 'Victor: The Rise of Osimhen', explained how survival was a daily battle. "We both hawked oranges. My sister would go to the market and get oranges for us to go and sell," she recounted. "There was no family to intervene. There was no family to support. Only the seven of us, living in one room, sleeping in one room."
The siblings also sold sachet water at the Owena area of Ojota. Blessing emphasized the collective effort, stating, "Whatever money Victor was making, when we got home everyone would split it." Their father, a factory worker, later lost his job. He passed away in 2020 but lived to witness the early stages of his son's professional football success.
The Day the Landlord Stripped Their Roof
The most harrowing memory shared by Blessing involved their family home. She narrated the incident where their landlord took drastic action due to unpaid rent. "They removed our roof when we didn't have money to pay rent. Our landlord removed our roof, and my father was inside," Blessing said.
She revealed that the children had already packed out of the apartment, but their father was still inside when the landlord arrived. "He never knew we (children) had packed out of the place. Then he opened the roof, and it was raining, then my father said 'I know you (landlord) will pray for my downfall.'" This traumatic event forced the family to relocate to Ogba.
An Unlikely Source of Support
Amidst the adversity, Blessing identified a beacon of support for her brother Victor. "The only person that was bringing encouragement to my brother was the landlord's son," she disclosed. "That is the only person I know that actually supported my brother till the very end, even till this moment." This unexpected ally played a crucial role during their most challenging times.
Osimhen's Own Recollections of Poverty
Victor Osimhen himself has often reflected on his difficult upbringing. Shortly before a UEFA Champions League clash between Galatasaray and Ajax, he told UEFA TV, "I came from a very poor background. I'm the lastborn of seven. I lost my mum at a very young age, and my father passed on in 2020."
He described his childhood as "really tough," noting that as a young boy he had to fend for himself and help his siblings raise money. "To make sure we all came together to help our father after his wife passed away," Osimhen added, underscoring the family's collective resilience.
Today, Victor Osimhen stands in stark contrast to his beginnings. From hawking oranges in the Ojota slums, he has risen to become one of the most sought-after strikers in European football. His story, now further illuminated by his sister's heartfelt testimony, remains a powerful narrative of triumph over extreme adversity.
