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Nigerian teenage singer Richie Ogaga, known professionally as Boiy Richey, has recounted how financial difficulties forced him to sell groundnuts and push wheelbarrows for traders while pursuing his ambition of becoming a musician.
The 17-year-old said he struggled to afford studio sessions and sometimes borrowed phones to record and share his freestyles online before attracting the attention of talent spotter Gidado Tino.
Ogaga, who grew up in Kabayi before his family relocated to Otukpo, Benue State, said his early experiences shaped his determination to build a career in music and support his family.
“I was just a young boy who would go to the market to sell groundnuts for my mum,” he said.
“Whenever my mum was around to sell, I would take our wheelbarrow and work for other people in the market so I could make a little money for myself.”
His interest in music began when he was about six years old, but he started writing his own songs at 13.
However, financial constraints made it difficult for him to record his compositions and share them with a wider audience.
“There were times I had to raise money by myself just to record,” he said. “I would even leave home and borrow other people’s phones so I could make freestyles and post them.”
According to him, his parents initially had reservations about his decision to pursue music and sometimes encouraged him to learn a trade instead.
Despite the concerns, he continued posting freestyles on social media, drawing encouragement from friends and people who reacted positively to his performances.
At 15, Ogaga travelled from Otukpo to Abuja without informing his parents of his destination, hoping to secure an opportunity with a record label.
The attempt did not yield the expected result, and he eventually returned home.
He continued making music until one of his Instagram freestyles attracted the attention of Tino, who contacted him and offered to help him develop his musical ambitions.
“He saw me. He believed in me. And he decided to give me a chance,” Ogaga said.
The singer said his experiences with financial hardship and uncertainty informed his debut single, “ONLY ME,” released on October 9, 2026.
According to him, the song reflects his struggles, faith and determination to achieve his goals despite setbacks.
One of its lines reads, “Whenever it is, whatever it is, I no see the reason wey go make me quit.”
Ogaga said he hoped his experiences would encourage other young people facing difficult circumstances not to abandon their ambitions.
“I want them to hear my story and understand that difficult beginnings don’t mean you can’t have a great future,” he said.
He added that making his family proud remained a major motivation for pursuing music.
“Making my family proud means everything to me,” he said.
