Jay On-air: How I Turned to TikTok After My Okrika Business Collapsed During COVID
Media personality Joseph Onaolapo, popularly known as Jay On-air, has opened up about the difficult journey that led him from corporate frustration to finding purpose through content creation on TikTok.
In a heartfelt interview with Chude Jideonwo, Jay recounted his early struggles after moving from Benin to Lagos in search of better opportunities. Driven by his passion for radio, he sent countless CVs to radio stations across the city, but received no response.
“I wanted to roll with the big boys and big girls,” he said. “I sent my CV to every radio station. Nothing came through.”
Eventually, he found a position at an online radio station, which didn’t meet his expectations. This led him to take a corporate job, working as an executive assistant and later a communications executive. However, the experience quickly turned sour.
“I was owed salaries frequently. I was treated like I wasn’t worth anything. It really broke me,” he shared.
Frustrated and feeling undervalued, Jay made the bold decision to leave his job and venture into business. He started selling secondhand clothes, popularly known as Okrika, and found unexpected success. He became widely known as the “shorts guy,” with many customers specifically seeking him out.
“It was finally starting to work,” he recalled. “People would come to me just to buy shorts. I could even afford concert tickets — I remember buying one to see Waje. That was a big deal for me.”
But just as the business was picking up, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, bringing everything to a halt.
“The lockdown ruined everything. No customers, no sales — everything just went silent. I had no job, no income, nothing,” he said.
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Feeling stuck and uncertain, Jay turned to TikTok out of curiosity. What began as a fun distraction soon became a lifeline.
“People were on TikTok, and I thought, ‘What’s going on here?’ I started syncing sounds just for fun. I’d wake up, take a shower, and ask myself, ‘How many sounds can I sync in one hour?’ That’s what helped me through depression and sadness.”
Today, Jay On-air credits TikTok for giving him a renewed sense of purpose, helping him rediscover his creative spark during one of the darkest periods of his life.
