The day I ‘bought’ 2 tablets of Paracetamol for N1,000 but still had hope that Nigeria will be great again!

I was on a radio show the other day when the presenter asked me if I believe that Nigeria can still be turned around. My answer was a definite yes. You may wonder why I answered yes; but I am an optimist. I believe that hope is an essential part of faith and faith is an essential part of living.

I had been a bit feverish and I found that I was beginning to come down with some fever. I had been driving from Ilorin to Ibadan, and I still had to drive up down to Lagos, so I was worried that I will be in some danger due to illness imposed fatigue.

I thought I would find a pharmacy around me, but I didn’t notice any as I headed out from challenge towards the expressway, eventually stopping at the Mobile Filling station near the old toll gate.

So I went into the store in the station, and asked the ladies if they sell paracetamol or Panadol. No, they don’t. I was worried because by now, I was almost noticeably shivering. One of the ladies, Hamidat is her name, asked me if I don’t mind if she gives me from her own pack (that she is using). I said I didn’t and she gave me two tablets. The thing that surprised me the most is not that she offered to give me from her own personal stock; but that she didn’t expect me to gratify her in anyway.

I hesitated a bit, then walked out, thanking her and her mate. Then it occurred to me to even ask for her name. That’s when she told me, “Hamidat”. Now, this girl is just a shop girl, and I am a fairly successful looking middle aged-man driving a SUV, so she has a right, according to Nigeria’s new standards, to demand for or to at least expect me to give her something.

I walked into my car, got a bottle of water from my boot, and I noticed that they were not expecting me to come back. So I went back inside and gave her N1000 naira. Trust me, she was shocked but appreciative.

Even though this was my most expensive Panadol ever, the singular act from this shop girl revalidated my hope that there may still be a way to turn this country around. If we can find our humanity, and be selfless, for sure, we can have the hope of making this country great again.