Summary: What happens when you ask a Nobel Laureate for millions? Nigerian author Onyeka Nwelue shares the very surprising and relatable response he got from Prof. Wole Soyinka.
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Omo, some gist go just make you sit down and think. This one na proper one.
So, imagine say you need money for something serious. No be small change for data o, we dey talk about heavy, leg-shaking money. For our guy, author Onyeka Nwelue, that money was a whole thirty-nine million naira (N39,000,000) wey him need for surgery.
Now, when you need that kind of cash, who you go run go meet? Onyeka decided to take his case to the top floor, the very peak of the mountain. He approached our own Nobel Laureate, the legendary Professor Wole Soyinka.
E get mind sha!
You would think say with Soyinka’s status, maybe e go just tell hin P.A. to write cheque. But the response Onyeka got was not what anybody expected. E shock am, e go probably shock you too.
According to Onyeka, when he told Baba Soyinka about the N39 million he needed for surgery, Kongi did not reach for his chequebook.
Instead, Professor Wole Soyinka listened calmly, and then shared his own experience. He opened up about his own health challenges and the staggering amount of money he himself had to spend on medical procedures.
Basically, Baba tell am say, “My son, you think it’s easy? See my own bill!”
Instead of just giving money, the elder statesman gave something else: perspective and empathy. He showed Onyeka that even at his level, life still throws expensive punches. Everybody dey face him own battle, big man or small man.
It’s a powerful lesson, if you think am. In a country where we often look to “big men” for financial bailouts, Soyinka’s response was a masterclass in shared humanity. He didn’t dismiss Onyeka; he related with him on a deeply personal level.
So next time you think the rich and famous have it all figured out, just remember this story. As we dey talk for street, everybody get him own for body.
Na so life be. What do you think of Baba’s response?
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