“Once Prof. Iyahen helped to get a young man an admission into the University. Of course, the man merited it. When his name appeared on the admission list, the family were so happy they brought some gift items to the house. But, Prof. was not in when they came, and I received the gifts, which included tubers of yam, coconuts, plantains, and so on. In fact, it was at a time when things were very difficult at home, when lecturers’ salaries were barely paid. Things were generally difficult in the Country. I was happy to see those food items.
Our elders were once rascally – Osadolor
“When Prof returned, I told him about the gifts and that I kept them in the library. He quietly followed me to see them. To my greatest surprise and shock, he shouted at the top of his voice, asking me who told me to receive the gifts and ordered that I return them to wherever they came from forthwith!
“Meanwhile, I didn’t know the house of the people. I hadn’t even ever met them before that day. Prof. shouted and called his wife, ‘Vero! Vero!’ When she showed up, he asked her if she was the one who told me to receive those things. Of course, she replied that she wasn’t the one because she wasn’t. She wasn’t even aware that any such thing had happened.
“I was thus on my own. He insisted I go to find the people. I was sure I was going to sleep in the streets that night searching for who-knew-whom. Luckily for me, Prof.’s sister through whom that family connected with him to make the admission request, drove in not long after and I quickly packed up the stuff and offloaded them into her car boot. That was how I was saved that day.
“The reason is that,” says Mrs Iyahen, “he said no one needs to pay him in any form for such a thing as he did for that young man because he got so many things free of charge, even as his parents were not rich. He said he got all his education on scholarship. All! So, whatever he could do for people, he would do free as well. He said his parents never had to bribe to get him anything.
“And he would go about greeting everybody, even people he was ‘bigger’ than by status. He would greet them first, even younger people. I’d be so irritated I’d snap and say, ‘Hmm, that’s enough! It’s too much.’”
Excerpt from GOD HAS DONE ME WELL
