Sometime in 2019, a struggling student experienced an act of kindness that drew him close to tears.
Moses Adegoke, a mechanical engineering student of Lagos State Polytechnic, was using a torchlight phone, much to the jest of his Coursemates.
In his words, “I was the only one in my class who didn’t have an Android phone and some of my mates would often make fun of me. It was bad.
The truth was, my parents couldn’t afford a good phone and, at the time, I couldn’t either.”
The little gadget he had was strictly for calls. Worse still, the phone’s battery wouldn’t exceed two hours.
Adegoke was limited because of this. He wasn’t able to do research or get enough data for his academic work.
The few times he was able to do academic research with an Android phone was because a friend lent him theirs in class.
“I would quickly use their phones to do what I needed to do before lectures, and if I was opportune, I would check the news online- you know, to be updated about the happenings in Nigeria”
Adegoke struggled that way until he got a major breakthrough. “I can recall that day clearly, I was in class and had borrowed someone’s phone to use…” when one of his coursemates, Elijah Odunayo, beckoned on Adegoke to leave the class and meet him in the class corridor.
“Honestly, I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to meet him at first because I had just gotten somebody’s phone and was using it. For me, it was a priceless opportunity I had, and I wanted to utilise it,” still Adekoge left the class and went to meet him because he was insisting.
Adegoke, who anticipated a quick talk so he could hurry back to the class to use the other coursemate’s phone, was in for a shock.
“I remember meeting him outside, and he started off with questions about Calculus. After that, he said he had something for me. His bag was with him.
He opened his bag and brought out a white and black Aquaris M5.”
When the phone landed on Adegoke’s hands, he noticed that the phone was switched on and had no SIM card.
Adegoke didn’t understand what was going on.
“I asked him what the phone was for and if he wanted me to give it to someone. He said it was mine. My head was blown away…”
Odunayo further explained that he had two Android phones and would rather use one phone than watch Adegoke suffer an almost phone-less state.
“Much to my shock, he made me understand that the phone, Aquaris M5, had little faults, so he repaired and refurbished it for me. The phone was so new.
It was like a dream.”
It seemed surreal for Adegoke, as he thanked Odunayo and returned to class. Reality didn’t dawn on him till he got home.
“It was when I got home after school and laid on my bed that it all felt real- I was an Android phone owner. I removed my SIM card from my torchlight phone and inserted it into the phone. Odunayo was the first person I called,”
For Adegoke, this wasn’t just a phone. It was a symbol of love and kindness.
That someone cared enough to share with him and see to it that the new gift doesn’t cause him any worry.
The once torchlight phone was now replaced with a better device that would push him to better feats in his academics.
From that day forward, the dynamics of their friendship changed. Adegoke and Odunayo were brought together by an act of kindness and became more than just acquaintances.
The gesture solidified their bond.
As for Adegoke, he never forgot about the generosity of that day. For him, it’s the seemingly small gestures that make the most significant impact.
