This is a sad story.
A man in Badawa, Kano, Nigeria went to a female food seller. He had not eaten in three days.
He begged the seller for food on credit. She said “No” because she already gave food to too many people on credit. The man sat down beside the food seller’s shop, as he had nowhere else to go.
The foodseller told him he’s very sorry and she would like to help, but too many people in the neighborhood have collected food on credit, and her business is sinking.The man sat there and said nothing.
As time went on, other people came into the shop to buy food and went out; they noticed the man at the door sitting there sleeping. But nobody bothered. Until one man came later in the day and asked the foodseller, “Who is the man sitting at your door?” “Why is he there?” Then the foodseller replied, “Oh, it’s a man who says he has not eaten for 3 days and he wants to collect food on credit, but I could not give him credit because my business is struggling from all the credit I have already given out.”.Then the man said, “How much is the food he wants?” The food seller said, “It’s a few cups of garri, rice, and beans. Everything may be 2,000 naira.”.The other man said, "Alright, pack everything he wants and more. I would pay for it. Let him go home to his family and eat.”.
The food seller packed all the food and went outside to…The food seller packed all the food and went outside to tell the man with joy that someone had paid for his food. She saw the man still sleeping. She tapped him to wake him up, but he didn’t respond. I tapped him again, but nothing.The man had died. He died while sitting and waiting for help.
This happened just a few days ago in Badawa, Kano. Some people who live in that area know this story. The man was dead all along while people were coming in and out of the shop thinking he was sleeping. He died hopeless. He died helpless. He died as a man whose country failed. Kano has 17 million people. Less than 200,000 people got any form of palliative from the government. Many people got hungry. Many people died in their houses. Many people starved to death under a government that locked them in and gave them no food. Evil, clueless, and thoughtless leadership.
If you know anyone in this period who is hungry around you and you can afford a little food or money to give him or her, please do. Many people are walking the streets with an empty stomach and a sorry face, and they are dead inside. It’s only a matter of time before they physically die.
Don’t be the one who walks into a store and doesn’t bother to ask about the beggar at the door. We all have our problems, yes. But our little curiosity may save a life.Be the one who asks, “Who is that person sitting there?” Be the one who helps.And be the one who saves a life..
