Media personality Joseph Onaolapo, popularly known as Jay On-Air, has shared a deeply personal story of resilience, reinvention, and unexpected success, revealing how he went from corporate frustration and street-side hustle to becoming a rising voice in Nigeria’s media and digital content space.
In an emotional sit-down with Chude Jideonwo, Jay opened up about his early struggles in Lagos, a city he moved to with dreams of working in radio — dreams that initially met silence, rejection, and disappointment.
From Dreams to Disappointment: A Rough Landing in Lagos
“I wanted to roll with the big boys and big girls,” Jay recounted. “I came to Lagos from Benin. I sent my CV to every radio station. Every radio station. Nothing happened.”
Determined not to give up, he eventually secured an unpaid stint with an online radio station. That, too, failed to provide the breakthrough he hoped for. He shifted to the corporate sector, working as an executive assistant and later as a communications executive — but the reality was harsh: unpaid salaries, toxic work culture, and emotional burnout.
“I was treated like I wasn’t worth anything,” he said. “That all just crippled me.”
Pivot to Hustle: Building a Business from ‘Okrika’
Frustrated and disillusioned, Jay made the difficult decision to leave the corporate world and try something completely different — selling secondhand clothes, popularly known as Okrika. What began as a survival tactic quickly turned into a thriving business.
He carved out a niche for himself as the “shorts guy,” earning enough to finally afford small luxuries like concert tickets and rebuilding his confidence along the way. “It was starting to work,” he said. “People would come to me to buy shorts. I tried. This one was actually starting to work.”
COVID-19: Another Setback, Another Reinvention
Just as the business was picking up steam, the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown brought it to a standstill. “And everything just… became silent,” Jay said. “I didn’t have a job. Nothing was working for me.”
But in that stillness, he found a new outlet — TikTok. What began as a way to pass time and cope with isolation turned into a life-changing creative escape. Jay began lip-syncing sounds, experimenting with videos, and rediscovering his love for performance and entertainment.
“When I was depressed, when I was sad, I’d wake up in the morning, have my shower, and go straight to TikTok,” he shared. “How many sounds can I create in one hour? How quickly can I live-sync sounds?”
Creating Joy from Pain
Jay On-Air’s story is more than a tale of professional reinvention — it’s a testimony to finding purpose through persistence, and joy through creativity. His rise from a struggling graduate, to an Okrika seller, to a social media star is a powerful reminder that the path to success is rarely linear.
Now, with a growing fan base and a voice in media, Jay continues to inspire others with his journey — a story built not just on hustle, but on healing.
“That’s why I love creating so much,” he said. “Because when I had nothing, it gave me something to hold on to.”