My disagreements with Governor Ademola Adeleke are in writing and can be accessed via the internet, but he did something two weeks ago that warmed my heart.
He used his administrative authority to transform the life of a young hustler—a young and attractive lady who decided to hawk puff-puff in the sun rather than sell her body for free money.
That deed touched my heart, as well as the heart of anyone who recognizes the importance of admiring, acknowledging, and rewarding hard effort in this new generation.
He used a single stone to kill two birds. He transformed her life and publicly emphasized the importance of hard work and perseverance. These two characteristics are severely absent in today’s age.
He gave the puff-puff hawker a cash gift of N50000. He directed that his security details should allow her to enter into his bus for protection against anyone who feels the cash gift is state money and must be shared.
Do you have a certificate? The governor asked. “I have an NCE certificate,” she responded. I later read on the news that she was employed as a chef in the government house. A holder of an NCE certificate employed as a chef? I was worried and criticized the governor on a WhatsApp group, but an aide to the governor on digital media, Lekan Badmus, did not allow my criticism to sail.
“She told the governor that she was a chef before she started selling puff-puffs and wanted to be one again, which led to the governor’s decision to hire her as a cook at the government mansion,” he posited. After watching the larger version of the video, I saw that the governor’s aide was correct.
I’ve read numerous definitions of ‘luck,’ but this one stands out for me because it emphasizes two important words: preparation and opportunity. Luck is truly a product of preparation meeting opportunities.
The hawker was lucky. She was prepared. She graduated with an NCE certificate. She got trained as a chef. She started hawking puff-puff in Abeere, the host community of the state secretariat where opportunities flourish.
When the opportunity surfaced, she was not lacking in preparation, and she got lucky. The Osun-born hawker who found comfort at the Office of the Auditor General for Local Governments in early March is now a chef in the government house.
I had no intention of writing about the situation, yet something compelled me. The video shows her parents, particularly her mother, presenting her employment letter. She was overjoyed. I hesitate to guess what she was thinking after viewing the footage of her daughter and the governor. But I know it wouldn’t be like being handcuffed, manhandled, or swarmed for murdering a wealthy man in a hotel room.
She would have been overjoyed that her lovely daughter, who preferred ‘hard work/struggling’ above ‘Olosho business,’ might be rewarded by the governor in front of her parents. So you may pitch puff-puff as a lovely lady while meeting the governor? So you don’t have to sleep around?
To exacerbate the enthusiasm, the governor declared that he will give the mother N2 million. She shouted. She roared. She lost her composure. He also declared that the father will earn N2 million. The father began shaking. Both felt overwhelmed.
But the mother rolled on the floor. She sang loudly. She did not remember that she was not in her room or church. The father was shaking. He stood up and walked towards the governor’s aide and was still shaking.
To some, it is just N2 million. To the family, it is a life-changing fund. I understand such feelings. When I made my first million from sweat, I nearly went crazy too. Some claimed that it is scripted. I watched the video again, and I loved it more. If true, the scriptwriter deserves an award.
The writer not only changed the family’s story, but also made us happy. I’m talking about us, the cheerful people, not the sad, miserable, awful, bitter, and poisonous ones who are threatened by others’ happiness.
The governor told his audience that he liked the fact that the woman did not go into prostitution despite being a beauty. We are in a world of fraudsters and prostitutes. I admire the gesture of the governor in the face of the alarming and rising population of internet fraudsters and prostitutes in our society.
The young population is gone, and I hope the governor finds time to find worthy replacements in the ministries of youth, women, and children. Not all dead bones rise again, Mr. Governor. You cannot empower or employ all ‘Oluwatosins’ singlehandedly.
The sad irony is there are many ‘Oluwatosins’ in the state. They deserve to be happy too. Their relatives deserve to roll on the floor too. I hope you consider teachers’ recruitment very soon.
I equally share the same thoughts with those who think the suspension of official duties by civil servants who welcomed the governor after his vacation was unnecessary.
However, the same event created the situation that freed the puff-puff hawker from her financial obligations. Yes, it is wrong to waste official hours. Osun is not new to activities that weaken her capacity, and I sincerely hope we can put a stop to them.
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