Tijani lives in Abuja but he have investments scattered all over the country. He also has a real estate company.
Back in school, he had a friend called Amina and they were very close. Recently, Amina called him on phone and begged him to help get job for his younger brother.
Tijani’s estate manager in Lagos had just established his own business so he needed a replacement. As he was thinking of an appropriate replacement, Amina’s brother came to his mind. Though he was not qualified for the job, Tijani was ready to train him and give him all the support he needed. The job had mouth watering packages which includes an official car, official residence and good pay package.
When Tijani visited Lagos, he called Amina on phone and told her to bring his brother. Owing to the cash crunch in the country Amina did not have cash for transportation fare. Tijani had earlier sent money to her bank account but Amina couldn’t withdraw the money.
As that was going on, Tijani decided to pay Amina a visit. The place was at the outskirt of Lagos and the road was bad. He was already at the area when his car developed fault at the middle of the road. All efforts to move the car to the side of the road proved abortive.
He saw two young men near the road and begged them to help him. They told him that he must pay. The money they requested was much and Tijani didn’t have much cash with him. He wanted to make a transfer but network was bad.
The car was causing obstruction on the road and other motorists were cursing him. After a while, he had to remove his wrist watch and add to the little cash with him, before they agreed to help him push the car out of the road.
Afterwards, he begged them to help him get a mechanic, who will work on the car. They also charged an exorbitant amount for it. By the time he tried to beg them, they abandoned him and the car and left.
He had to call his mechanic to pick a taxi to come and meet him at point that his car broke down. He also called Amina to bring his brother to the spot where he was.
He recognized Amina from afar and was so excited. But as she drew near, he noticed that the person with him was one of the young men that charged him exorbitantly to help move his car from the road.
“Amina, who is this person with you?” Tijani asked.
“He is my younger brother. The one I told you needed a job.”
Tijani shook his head and tears filled his eyes. The person that made him left his comfort zone and pass through all the stress was not worth it.
“Hope all is well?” Amina asked.
“Yes. I have seen him, I will get back to you.”
That was the end. Tijani never got back to Amina.
Everyone that comes your way is an important personality. Treat them with kindness. Money is important but everything is not about money. Someone that couldn’t give you money today may be able to offer you something worth than money tomorrow. Some rewards for our labour are not immediate. It is reaped later. At that time, it becomes sweeter.
