Too busy to blow their trumpet

There are many Nigerians – ordinary and not so ordinary alike – doing extraordinary things to keep their societies going. However, their contributions – substantive and crucial as they may be – go unrecognized, unacknowledged and in some instances not even appreciated. In the course of compiling nominations for this year’s special publication, Daily Trust […]

There are many Nigerians – ordinary and not so ordinary alike – doing extraordinary things to keep their societies going. However, their contributions – substantive and crucial as they may be – go unrecognized, unacknowledged and in some instances not even appreciated. In the course of compiling nominations for this year’s special publication, Daily Trust came across such Nigerians who are doing so much for humanity but get too little publicity.
Surprisingly, some of them are happy to remain anonymous, even though their stories are worth sharing. Consider this: they are a group of young men and women who, after their employment by an A-list government agency, decided to set aside a part of their earning through which they see to the execution of numerous charity projects ranging from refurbishing of public schools, to footing the hospital bills for so many indigent Nigerians. They are heroes by every definition of the term yet they want to remain unsung! They seem content on reaping their rewards in heaven, not here on earth.
When one of our reporters reached a member of the group so that their story can be done, she said she belonged to no such group. Then hours later she called back – probably prodded by her conscience which will not allow her to lie – to say it is true that she is a member of the group as rightly said by the lady that nominated them. “I am sorry for calling you back. Actually I belong to a group like that but, believe me, going public will defeat the essence of our objectives. We appreciate the interest, and thank you for the encouragement, but we will rather remain anonymous,” she told our reporter.
There is also the story of a retired director who chose to leave the service than to bend the rules. “He was frustrated out of service because he refused to honour a directive that asked him to release money without following due process. As a result he was transferred six times within three months. With his benefits he started working as a commercial driver, just so he could help and mingle with the less-privileged,” according to a letter nominating him for the publication. When our reporters reached him on phone, he begged to be left out saying “I am okay as I am. I don’t want any publicity please.”
All the same, this year’s edition of Unsung Heroes, like others before it, contains the stories of people who, in their own little ways, are contributing their quota to the betterment of their societies. For the laudable things they do, Daily Trust decided to help them blow their trumpet which they seem to be too busy to do by themselves.
Due to some hitches we will not be able to publish all the entries in this edition, but the materials shall form part of our subsequent editorial contents. Keep reading Daily Trust!