Aunty Esther Ezinne, a personal shopper who helps Nigerians living in Lagos shop in the popular Mile 12 market, has become an overnight celebrity on Twitter after her story went viral on the platform. Esther does not have a shop, but she positions her business under every viral tweet to advertise herself and what she does for a living. She has been diligent in doing this, showing up every day even when it does not make sense to her and her family.
However, her consistency paid off when one lady on Twitter, who was apparently under the influence of meth, called Aunty Esther out in such a harsh way, using unprintable names, including Twitter’s Agbaya. Esther’s only crime was that she advertised her hustle under her tweet.
The tweets by the lady who insulted Aunty Esther went viral and came to the attention of young people on Twitter. Some of these young people vowed to change the story of Aunty Esther, just as the life of the Esther character in the Bible was changed from that of a village girl to that of a queen in the king’s palace.
That was how Aunty Esther’s bank account started receiving money she did not imagine she would receive in one day. Contributions of 500k here, 200k there, and 20K monthly stipends until December poured in, and one person even promised to process her passport and take her abroad for pampering.
Aunty Esther’s life changed overnight. From being an obscure personal shopper, she became a celebrity on Twitter, trending since morning, and her number of followers went from 10,000 to 20,000 in one day. Her story is a lesson for everyone to keep showing up even when it does not make sense, as the principle of consistency is one that can change the outcome of our lives.
This event shows that Nigeria is hard, very hard, but the principles that change the outcome of our lives are universal and the same. Aunty Esther is an epitome of this, and her story is a shining example of the grace called Favour that can change our lives.
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Joseph Omoniyi
