Setting the Standard for Others: 3 Unsung Nigerian Heroes that Really Deserve to be Celebrated

Setting the Standard for Others: 3 Unsung Nigerian Heroes that Really Deserve to be Celebrated

Not all heroes wear capes is a catchphrase that is often used for everyday folks who through their good deeds demonstrate that people are capable of courageous behavior rather than movie superheroes.

In Nigeria, a country of over 212 million, there exist some youths who are deserving of the tag 'heroes' owing to their feats but have unfortunately received little or no recognition, save for a few social media praising here and there.

Role models for the youths: 3 unsung Nigerian heroes that really deserve to be celebrated
Emmanuel Christopher, Bilqees Lawal and Obinna Gabriel Photo Credit: Facebook/Lara Wise, LinkedIn/Bilqees Lawal, Twitter/@GabrielObinna6
Source: UGC

This article seeks to appreciate these unsung heroes who have by their selfless actions put smiles on people's faces and reiterated the faint hope in some persons' minds that good people exist in Nigeria - no matter how tough things may get.

1. Bilqees Lawal

For years, people of a community in Rivers state called Kpong had a dirty and contaminated river as their only source of drinking water, until Bilqees Lawal came into the picture.

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The 20-year-old first-class graduate from Achievers University. Owo, Ondo state made the community's problem her own after being posted there for the compulsory NYSC and launched a social media campaign to raise money in order to get them a borehole.

Role models for the youths: 3 unsung Nigerian heroes that really deserve to be celebrated
Bilqees Lawal built borehole for a community that drinks dirty water Photo Credit: LinkedIn/Bilqees Lawal
Source: UGC

Of course, Bilqees wouldn't have been fined by the NYSC or anyone if she chose to look the other way and finish her service like others.

And 5 months after a concerted effort of rallying support and getting financial backing, she gave the community of 5,000 people a reason to smile again and saved them from water-borne diseases with the construction of a borehole.

Judging from the happy countenance she wore at the commissioning of the borehole project, one would assume it was a stroll in the park, but that wasn't the case.

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When quizzed about whether she nursed doubts on actualizing the borehole project, Bilqees told Legit.ng's Victor Duru that there were doubts everytime.

"I doubted the success of the project before I commenced and during the fundraising campaign.
"The question everyone asked me was “how do you want to raise over a million naira?”
"And honestly, I never had the right response.
"It seemed impossible but I wanted to try anyways. Fortunately, I have the right people in my circle that encouraged me and provided me with all the psychological support for the project. I cried severally because fundraising is not an easy task.
"I'm grateful to God, my parent, sponsors, and supporters that it ended in praise, she said."

2. Emmanuel Christopher

Emmanuel Christopher, a taxi driver, became an internet sensation some days ago after media personality Lara Wise shared on Facebook how he returned over N1.2 million a passenger had left in his car.

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Emmanuel's honesty was praised by many and left others marvelling how he managed to stay honest at a time the country is having a fuel crisis and other economic woes.

Role models for the youths: 3 unsung Nigerian heroes that really deserve to be celebrated
Emmanuel returned money left in his car Photo Credit: Lara Wise
Source: Facebook

He found the passenger who owned the fat wallet containing the whopping sum of money who received it from him in shock, 'only cried and left.'

3. Obinna Gabriel

Obinna Garbiel is another corps member who touched lives greatly with his service year.

The young man arrived at Ayegbami community in Kwara state for his NYSC - a community with a dilapidated road that has claimed lives and affected businesses.

Role models for the youths: 3 unsung Nigerian heroes that really deserve to be celebrated
Obinna's advocacy helped fix a community's dilapidated road Photo Credit: @GabrielObinna6
Source: Twitter

He took it upon himself to help them to the best of his ability - according to him, he became ''Overwhelmed with compassion I swore I'd do something about it."

Obinna said he wrote to organizations about the situation and involved media houses to shine a light on it.

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His effort eventually paid off and got the attention of the community's representative in the House of Reps who, upon reaching Obinna, included it in his constituency budget for 2021.

An excited Obinna took to Twitter to showcase the new state of the road.

Filling station worker who paid for woman's fuel get 8 years worth of his salary

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a kind filling station worker who paid for a woman's fuel had been rewarded with 8 years worth of salary.

Nkosikho Mbele who happened to be the attendant on duty had first begun wiping the lady's car screen before rendering the service she requested. It was when Mbele wanted to fill her car that Monet discovered she had forgotten her card at home.

The 28-year-old petrol attendant then stepped in with a solution. He offered to pay for her fuel with his card with the promise that Monet would return it when next she stopped by. He then went on to fill her car after paying R100 (₦ 2,750.98) with his card.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Victor Duru avatar

Victor Duru (Editor) Victor Duru is a Reuters-trained award-winning journalist with over 4 years of working experience in the media industry. He holds a B.Sc in Management Studies from Imo State University, where he was a Students' Union Government Director of Information. Victor is a human interest editor, strategic content creator, freelancer and a Google-certified digital marketer. His work has been featured on US news media Faith It. He can be reached via victor.duru@corp.legit.ng