It was raining heavily on that day when Mgbebuihe Obioma Onwuka was heading to her home in Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos. Despite the challenging weather, she persistently sought a tricycle to transport her and her baby, whom she had securely strapped to her back.
“Because I had a baby with me, it wasn’t easy to join in the struggle. And you know that kind of rain that comes with flood and heavy wind, it’s scary. So people kept pushing and trying to get into the limited available tricycles,” Onwuka recounted.
Onwuka felt devastated because she didn’t want her baby to catch a cold. Just as she was about to give up, a kind man who was already sitting in one of the tricycles saw her and gave up his seat for her, and she quickly entered the tricycle while feeling grateful.
“I don’t know what could have followed if both I and the baby got drenched. I will not be happy. My baby might even fall sick. But you see, this is how God does his miracles. I was glad to have received this kindness from a stranger I barely know,” Onwuka expressed.
Fortunately for the kind man, when the driver noticed what he did, he also decided to offer him the front seat even though he initially didn’t want anyone to sit at the front close to him.
It didn’t end there. The benevolent man went a step further to cover Onwuka’s transport fare before disembarking at his own destination. This selfless gesture deeply touched her heart.
“It made me realise that there are still good people in Nigeria who are willing to sacrifice their comfort for others,” Onwuka expressed. Recounting the man’s words, she shared, “He said, ‘If it was my wife and baby, would I leave them in the rain? It is our responsibility to extend kindness to everyone we come across who needs it the most, particularly women,'” as conveyed to Prime Progress.
Onwuka, who is of a Christian background, said that gesture touched all that she was taught while growing up: to uphold God’s principles and extend a helping hand whenever it’s needed out there.
“Experiencing an act of kindness from a total stranger reminded me of the incredible kindness that exists in the world even amidst life’s struggle and challenges we continue to face,” Onwuka admitted.
As a natural skincare coach, Onwuka believes that true beauty starts from within, and just as we nurture our skin with natural ingredients to look good, we can also do better to nourish our souls by offering some acts of kindness to touch lives out there in the streets.
“Let’s spread positivity, radiate compassion, and be the change we wish to see in the world. When there is a love for one another, the world becomes a better place for us to all live in,” she advised.
Today, Onwuka is trying to stay true to herself and fulfil her God’s given purpose on earth. “This is my philosophy of life, and it’s where I’m going to continue investing my energy,” she concluded.
