UM’s Yaya Shares His Story From Football Coach To Tanglin Nasi Lemak Vendor

Lushly Yaya Olukosi may not be a name that’s familiar with many UM students, but when mentioning ‘Brother’ Yaya many will relate to the Nasi Lemak salesperson who peddles his goods at Kompleks Perdanasiswa, Universiti Malaya.

Taking to Facebook, Universiti Malaya, shares the story of this man’s amazing journey from being a football coach to a successful Nasi Lemak Tanglin salesperson.

In fluent Bahasa Malaysia, Yaya shared, “I wake up everyday at 4am to pick up nasi lemak and its condiments at the Tangling Complex in Kuala Lumpur, before making my way to UM around 7am.”

“I have been selling nasi lemak for the past 8 years, and have been living here in Malaysia since 2010.”

Sharing his passion for football on social media, Yaya adds “I currently hold a UEFA B Licence, which means that I can be the head coach of an amateur football team/U-16 team and become an assistant coach at any professional football club.”

“I used to coach the U-12 and U-13 team of Wolverhampton Wanderers while I was in the UK.”

In his interview he revealed that it was his UK tutor who advised him to make his way to Southeast Asia.

“When I was gathering more information on where should I stay in Southeast Asia, I fell in love with two things when I arrived in Malaysia: Batu Caves and KLCC.”

“That’s why I’ve been staying in Batu Caves ever since.”

When asked as to why he chose to sell nasi lemak as his main source of income, Yaya said: “For me this is not just an opportunity to get close to the place where my most favourite food is made, it is a chance for me to learn all I can about Malaysians and their love for food.”

“I plan to take this back to my country some day.”

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