I had seen the share on a friend’s face book wall and clicked on it to read the story. It seemed like a tale from a bedtime story book – a young lady takes pity on a man who society has turned its back on.  I had to meet the damsel who rescued this outcast when I visited Lagos a few weeks ago.

Olorunfunmi Adebajo

Gbolahan (Gbolly) is about forty-five years old (he’s not sure but Funmi’s older sibling attended school with him and estimate it to be this) and was an alcoholic; had been for the past fifteen years. Everyone knew him as ‘Ire-akari’, (which means goodness will go around) the name of the area/neighbourhood he lived.  They called him that because everyone in the neighbourhood knew him and saw him everywhere – sleeping in the maruwa (the three legged vehicle that travels all over Lagos), standing in traffic asking, sometimes begging to be hit by the vehicles trying to get by shouting ‘Kill me!’

Gbolahan (Gbolly) 

Gbolly and Olorunfunmi (Funmi) Adebajo had been neighbors for years.  For as long as Funmi lived across from Gbolly’s family house, she had known him to be an alcoholic and a nuisance to the community.  I asked her what made her finally decide to help a man who was a reproach to his family and neighborhood for so long. 

[image error] Behind Funmi is Gbolly’s family house

Why now?

Funmi said she had been in a depressed state that day, a month before her birthday (her birthday was in October). Rather than wallow in the things she wished she had, she intentionally looked outwards.  She walked around with her friend distributing scripture notes and there was Gbolly just around the corner from her house.  She handed him the scripture note and invited him to church.  She forgot about that encounter until a few days later when she saw Gbolly again.  He asked her when she would take him to church like she had promised.  So she did.  That was the beginning of Gbolly’s rehabilitation.  Here’s her post on October 21, 2015 which started everything:

“So on one of those days I hung my head and claimed life had ended for me, I walked past Gbolahan. He lives right across my house and was in class with one of my elder ones. I heard he was very brilliant but I’ve known him to be a chronic drunk for at least 15 years…His case was worse than a mad man. He’d drink ‘ogogoro’ all day, get beaten up and slapped by passersby, get hit by vehicles and then walk/shout all over the street all night. He barely slept and on the days he did, he would sleep in any ‘maruwa’ he finds parked behind my house. He practically had no life outside his bottle of gin.

God laid it on my heart to talk to him and I was surprised that he listened. I’ve paid a nearby ‘buka’ to have him fed twice a day, bought him a sponge, soap and toothbrush. Went to check on him every morning and evening, drove him to church in my car, gave him some place to sleep and found him something to do. I dont want him to be dependent o me so i handed him over to someone else to teach him personal hygiene and a bit of social skills.

To the glory of God, Gbolahan has been clean in the past three weeks. Now he converses coherently and does not stagger anymore, his eyeballs are clear…The whole of ire-akari road is amazed.

He still needs bedding, clothes, money for feeding etc.

I’m grateful to God for the privilege to serve humanity but I’LL BE NEEDING PROFESSIONAL REHABILITATION for my elder brother Gbolahan, I WOULD BE GLAD IF ANYONE CAN HELP ME OUT. That would be the best birthday gift ever.

Any recommendations please?

It’s my birthday and God is teaching me to love without expecting anything in return.”

Since then, there has been an outpouring of love, support, gifts both in cash and in-kind. Her update on November 5, 2015 says it all:

Quite a while right? Our brother Gbolly is fine and in good hands.

We went to the hospital yesterday to meet ‘Dr. O’ who had taken interest in Gbolahan and offered FREE medical evaluation and treatment. I kept smiling while the doctor explained the need for examining vital organs after prolonged abuse of alcohol…i could have been a doctor too but i hated chemistry! Anyway, Gbolahan’s blood samples have been taken…We await the results.

A Nigerian missionary doctor in the U.S also took interest in the story and now, Gbolahan has an appointment with the dentist sometime next week…This is also FREE. Today, we met @Princess Kay Ajibade who specialises in male clothings. …she’s giving him two sets of native FREE.

Someone drove all the way from Ikoyi to bring Gbolahan some clothes in Isolo, a youth corper in Adamawa state sent N2,500 out of his ‘allawee’ to feed Gbolahan for a couple of days…I also went to pick some clothes for him at another location yesterday….Someone even offered to take up his accommodation!!! You have all contributed in no little measure to make this successful.

Most importantly, we met with Keji Hamilton who runs the House of Joy rehab. Pastor Keji has taken the burden of getting a rehab off my shoulders, he is also helping us get Gbolahan someplace to learn a trade while the rehab admission process is finalised.

Thank you all for sparing your resources and time to give Mr Gbolahan hope again. All these would not have been possible without you..

Thank you Nigeria..This is who we are, a ‪#‎GoodPeopleGreatNation

Gbolly and Funmi few days after rehabilitation began

Contrary to what Funmi said, that she just decided to do something different, she’s been impacting her community for a while. Funmi is a graduate with a BSc in computer science and math and a masters in education administration and planning. She works for the Lagos State government. She has also organized a youth leadership summit in her area for the past six years.

Meeting Funmi, I was struck by how tall and slim she was. She could be mistaken for a runway model with her looks. She spoke with self confidence, neither brash or over zealous. During our talk that Sunday evening she also told me how she had wept reading some unkind comments – People saying how she was using Gbolly to make money. Some even saying how they had also sponsored several children to school and they never talked about it. She smiled when I told her how proud ‘we’ were proud of her (yes, we ). The diaspora and Africa was/is proud of her.

Funmi and yours truly

I sense in Funmi a need to do more and have every confidence and hope that this is just the beginning for Olorunfunmi Adebajo. She has been walking her path to greatness for a while now, the world has only just gotten the chance to see her footprints.

I’d like to say on behalf of all us- thank you Olorunfunmi Adebajo. You didn’t have to do what you did. Personally, you challenged me. I realized I wasn’t doing enough for the people around me, the ones I see everyday.

We are proud of you Funmi. More grace to you and the best to Gbolly.

If you are moved to help Gbolly and support Funmi, please reach out to Funmi directly on facebook., just search for Olorunfunmi Adebajo or via this medium (comment or send a message) or by email at nikecampbellfatoki@gmail.com. 

I hope you’ve been inspired.  Keep walking your path to greatness. Blessings.