I have remembered the story I was going to tell you guys.

It was about a very dark time in my life. This was around 2003/2004. I was a consultant in the UK and had decided to spread my tentacles to Nigeria. Obj had said we should all come back home to help him rebuild.

Na so me sef come back oo. Join hustle. I got a contract to supply and install kit for mtel cell sites in 6 locations in the SS. The locations were about 300km round trip from Benin where two of the sites were located. It was a most challenging job that was full of adventures

My partner and project manager Gboyega crashed his new Mercedes on one of his numerous trips to Benin from Abuja. It was a crazy time I swear. Great experience but tough. Anyway we finished work strictly to the very high spec demanded & just to get paid. But there was a problem

Mtel was so broke that it was not even able to pay 70k water rates or NEPA bill. It was dead and nearly buried. I was living in a nice small hotel at the time and was steadily accumulating bills. This my 8 weeks turned into indefinite leave to remain in Abuja.

Even the bank that financed my waka said they too had heard that Mtel was in distress and they were in doubt that we would ever get paid. By the time my hotel Bill's were 250k in the red I made a decision that it was time to move out.

Myself and my then ride or die, Yinka decided to find a temporary accommodation to stay. It had to be free cos by this time we were dead broke too & friends had stopped coming through. It was the bottom of the pit. Anyway we soon found a place in some police quarters in Garki.

It was a room in a BQ next to another room with a shared bathroom and toilet. I was like "he that is down needs fear no fall". The only way is up. Our neighbour in this BQ was a police corporal, a driver with a wife, 3 kids aged between 1-7 yrs & a help all living in one room

The guy's salary was N11,500 a month and his wife would have to go to Kogi every month to get this salary without fail. She would put the youngest daughter (mama) who was about a year old on her back and go in public transport to Kogi every month without fail.

Things were so bad for us sometimes we did not even have enough money for ourselves but this woman's travails really pierced my soul. But this is the sweetest part of the story. In my brokenness and my confused state I was still able to give this woman the transport money to Kogi

But that was not my main concern, it was the risk, the inconvenience...I asked her one day...why can't your husband just transfer to Abuja. She said he had been moved from Kogi for a while and transferring was so hard to do. She does not know why?

She said since her husband was so busy, he could not find the time to go to Kogi every month, so she had to. I was shocked. Then I was irate. This policeman in question drove an IG"s family....he was the assigned driver for the IG's children. The No1 policeman in Nigeria

The woman said well she needs that 11k like blood cos that is money they live on every month. So she no get choice. I think the trips cost about 1,200 return at the time maybe less. The wickedness of men and women in high places to their most trusted staff is a deep illness

I am forever grateful to this family. They were the best neighbours one could have at that time despite the kerosene fumes . When I was feeling sorry for myself for having to live like this for a few months. This was their everyday reality. No hope of getting out.

They inspired me to keep going and not to give up. This was the brokest I had ever been in my life, but this family still looked up to me for help. I was like their source of relief. It made me understand that our worst experiences are often someone else's everyday reality.

We must always remember to look around us during our low moments. Our inspiration will not necessarily come from reading about how Bill Gates was once broke and working from a garage. It may just come from the Gokada rider who was once a bank manager but is still so happy & kind.