Joseph Benjamin, the Nollywood actor, has recalled the struggles that pushed him into becoming a cab driver in the United States.
In a recent chat with Teju Babyface, Benjamin said he relocated to the US in the hopes of breaking into Hollywood after someone promised him movie gigs.
The actor said the project did not happen, prompting him to venture into the taxi business to make a living.
He added that he could not immediately return to Nigeria because he had little money on him.
“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 said.
“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.
“I am like, ‘I am not earning any money so what do I do?’ I do not 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.’ $1,500 was all I came to America with. How do I buy a ticket to go back to Nigeria?
“And then someone gave me a car. I am like, What do I do with the car? And they said Uber. I was driving for Uber and Lyft to pay my bills.”
