A 40-year-old Nigerian, Adeleoye Adekunle Babatunde, has gone viral after a video showed him selling “Ponmo alata” (peppered cow skin) in full corporate dress.
Shared by content creator @theayoadams, the street interview lays out his story. Babatunde, who holds a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and another in Estate Management from the Federal Polytechnic, Ado‑Ekiti, worked in banking from 2013 until he was laid off during the 2020 COVID‑19 downsizing.
He tried to find another stable job but kept getting low offers from foreign firms. At 40, he felt age was against him. He admits the situation hit him hard: “Depression almost killed me at home. My wife and children were there. We have rent, school fees, and food to take care of. Why would a grown man like me sit at home doing nothing?”
Instead of staying down, Babatunde started a mobile food business with a small capital. Unlike many vendors, he walks the streets in a neat long‑sleeved shirt, trousers and a bow tie, carrying a plastic bucket of spicy cow skin. After costs for production, feeding and transport, he says he nets at least N5,000 a day.
Hedlyne collected reactions to his post. johnson wrote: “I think conductor is better than kpomo.” Blessing Amudipe said: “I feel we need to support him with whatever we can as a fellow man.” Olosunde added: “God will change your story, my brother.”
See the TikTok video here.
