These days, we often forget about the elderly, and many of them wind up living alone and lonely. However, just because someone is old does not imply that they are devoid of sentiments or thoughts.
In fact, they may require friendship and love much more than before.
That is why we wanted to share the story we discovered online. Norah, a four-year-old kid, said something remarkable to a stranger in a grocery store. It affected both of their lives forever.
This is Tara Wood. She’s a mother of seven. When her daughter Norah turned four, they shared a wonderful time together. Tara was so moved by it that she shared the tale online, which rapidly went viral…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Source: Facebook
Something remarkable happened on the day before my daughter Norah turned four.
After picking daughter up from preschool, she noticed an older person walking slowly across the parking lot. She stated she preferred elderly people because they walk slowly and have delicate skin like hers. She then stated something sad: “They’re all going to die soon, so I’m going to love ’em all up before they’re gone.”
It was a little odd and dark toward the end, but I could tell where her heart was.
I was astounded by her compassion and understanding. When we arrived home, I shared what she had stated on Facebook. I had no idea how deeply it would move people.
Source: Facebook
“The next day, her birthday, on the way home from school, she asked if we might stop at the grocery store to get celebratory cupcakes for her and her six siblings after dinner.
“How do you say ‘No’ to the birthday girl?”
Source: Facebook
I put Norah and her younger sister into one of those large grocery carts that were like a car and drove to the bakery. After we had the cupcakes, I went to a shelf with reduced products. When Norah spoke, I was looking at stuff like Ranch dressing and Ensure.
She stood up in the cart, waving and exclaiming, “Hi, old person!” It is my birthday today!
The man she was speaking with was ancient and serious-looking. I was frightened she had insulted him, but he seemed unconcerned. He grinned and asked, “Well, hello, little lady! And how old are you today?”
They talked for a moment, he wished her a happy birthday, and then we parted ways.
Source: Facebook
A few minutes later, Norah approached me and asked if she could take a photo with the old man for her birthday. It was so cute! I wasn’t sure if he’d say yes, but I suggested we ask.
We found the man a few aisles over and asked him to take a photo with Norah for her birthday. He seemed bewildered at first, then surprised, and finally happy.
He steadied himself and inquired, “A photo? “With me?”
We were in the way of other shoppers, yet no one cared. It seemed as if something wonderful was happening. Norah and Mr. Dan spoke as if they had known one other for years.
Source: Facebook
After a few minutes, I thanked Mr. Dan for his time with us. He became sad and said, “No, thank YOU.” Today has been the best day I’ve had in a long time. You’ve made me very happy, Miss Norah.
They hugged again, and we departed. Norah watched him till he was out of sight.
I was deeply moved by their meeting. I thought folks on my Facebook page might be interested in hearing about it, so I published the tale along with a photo of them together.
Source: Facebook
That night, I received a message from someone who knew Mr. Dan.
His wife, Mary, died a few months ago, and he has been feeling really lonely. She stated meeting Norah meant a lot to him and probably changed his life.
I asked for Mr. Dan’s phone number and called him several days later.
Source: Facebook
We went to Mr. Dan’s neat and inviting house. Pictures of his late wife, Mary, were everywhere. He looked different: he had a haircut, shaved, and dressed nicely. He appeared younger. He prepared a little table for Norah with paper and crayons. He asked her to draw pictures for him to display on his refrigerator. She eagerly accepted and began drawing.
We stayed with Mr. Dan for over three hours. He was patient and gentle to Norah, even when she spoke and moved about a lot. He even helped her clean up the ketchup on her cheek and allowed her to finish his chicken nuggets.
Source: Facebook
Following lunch, we walked Mr. Dan to his front door. He took out a pocket knife and cut a single red rose growing near his porch. He spent fifteen minutes painstakingly removing each thorn from the stem before handing it to Norah. She keeps the dried rose in a Ziploc bag under her pillow.
Norah inquires about Mr. Dan every day. She’s concerned about him, wondering if he’s lonely, cold, or has enough food. She wants him to feel safe and cherished.
Mr. Dan also thinks about Norah. After a recent visit, he told me that he had not slept well since his wife died. But since meeting Norah, he has been sleeping better. He stated, ‘Norah has healed me.’
His words had me stunned and made my cheeks moist with tears.
Source: Facebook
Norah and Mr. Dan are vastly different ages. But it’s as if their hearts recognize each other.
Norah and I vowed to see Mr. Dan every week, even if just for a short period. We’ve even invited him to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. He has become a part of our family.
Talking to strangers can occasionally result in fantastic new friendships. It’s worth trying.
This story is both motivating and touching. It serves as a reminder to pay attention to others and engage in conversation. Share it with your loved ones. You never know what a conversation with a stranger can bring!
Gen. Diya was crossed examined at the Human Rights Violation Commission (HRVIC) on the coup plan 1997 to overthrow Gen. Sanni Abacha, He bluntly denied the fact that he was part of the plan but he admitted he knew about the plan. He further explained that he was afraid of being killed by the Coup Master Planner if he revealed the plan.
Gen. Diya Oladipo then was appointed as Chief of Defense Staff. He was appointed Chief of General Staff in 1993 and Vice Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council in 1994. In 1997 Diya and dissident soldiers in the military allegedly planned to overthrow the regime of Sani Abacha. The alleged coup was uncovered by forces loyal to Abacha, and Diya and his cohorts were jailed. Diya was tried in a military tribunal, and was given the death penalty. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
Nigeria has seen the rise and fall of many military regimes since she became a sovereign state in 1960 and this, at every turn, has altered the direction of the country.
A second coup since independence which happened on July 29, 1966, would see to the brutal death of Nigeria’s Supreme Commander, General J.T.C Aguiyi-Ironsi (the nation’s 1st military head of state) and his friend, Lieutenant Colonel Francis Adekunle Fajuyi, who was the sitting and 1st Military Governor of the Western Region…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Aguiyi-Ironsi was a guest at the Government House, Ibadan, as he came to hold a meeting with traditional rulers in the Western region. Ironsi arrived Ibadan the previous day and unknowingly, he met his death during the counter-coup which is generally believed to be a retaliation to the January 15th 1966 coup in which prominent Northerners in power were killed.
The Northerners were believed to hold a grudge since the first coup as they lost leaders including Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (Nigerian Prime Minister) and Sir Ahmadu Bello (Sardauna of Sokoto and Premier of the Northern Region). They tagged it an ‘Igbo Coup’ as no Eastern casualty was recorded in both the military and public service as even the West lost Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola in the coup. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
This counter-coup of July 29, 1966, led by General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma was tagged the bloodiest coup by many in the history of Nigeria. Ironsi and Fajuyi’s death which still remains a controversial debate among historians because how they were killed isn’t clear but both bodies were found in a bush in outskirts of Ibadan. Read a comprehensive account of how Aguiyi-Ironsi was killed here.
Aside from the Head of State and Western Military governor, many other casualties were recorded in the army and most killed or maimed were Easterners, particularly Igbos. This will be one of the many reasons the country would go into a civil war the following year as the Eastern region tried seceding.
54 years after, we remember this gruesome act done in the Brown Roof City and how much has happened or changed since then.
General Sani Abacha is perhaps Nigeria’s most enigmatic head of state. He reigned from 1993 until his death in 1998. General Abacha was born in Kano state, northern Nigeria on September 20, 1943. He hails from Kanuri in Borno state.
He passed out of the Nigerian Military Training Centre in Kaduna where he proceeded to Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot, England before being commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in 1963.
He is held by some as Nigeria’s most successful coup plotter. When he was still a Second Lieutenant with the 3rd Battalion in Kaduna, he took part in the July 1966 Nigerian counter-coup from the conceptual stage. He could well have been a participant in the Lagos or Abeokuta phases of the coup the previous January as well…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Abacha fought for Nigeria in the country’s civil war against Biafran secessionists continuing to rise through the army ranks.
He was instrumental in the 1983 Nigerian coup d’état which brought General Muhammadu Buhari to power as well as the August 1985 coup which removed him from power. He announced the coup which removed the government of Shehu Shagari.
When General Ibrahim Babangida was named President of Nigeria in 1985, Abacha was named Chief of Army Staff. He was appointed Minister of Defence in 1990. With Babangida’s resignation, an interim government headed by civilian President, Ernest Shonekan was formed.
Sani Abacha became the first Nigerian soldier to attain the rank of a full General without skipping a single rank in 1993. In the same year, he moved for the ultimate.
Shonekan resigned and transferred power to Sani Abacha in a move widely believed to be another bloodless coup. In September 1994, he issued a decree that placed his government above the jurisdiction of the courts, effectively giving him absolute power. Another decree gave him the right to detain anyone for up to three months without trial.
Abacha is noted for helping restore peace and democracy to Sierra Leone and Liberia after the civil wars.
On his administration of the Nigerian state proper, he established The Petroleum Trust Fund aimed to address major economic issues facing the country at the time. Between 25-100km of urban road in major cities such as Kano, Gusau, Benin, Funtua, Zaria, Enugu, Kaduna, Aba, Lagos, Lokoja, and Port Harcourt was planned to be constructed each. A N27.3bn contract was awarded for road rehabilitation in the first quarter of 1996.
There was a restructuring of major insurance companies that supported SMEs across the entire country.
Abacha mandated the PTF to publicise its accounts as it was the second-largest public corporation at the time. In 1997, the account of PTF showed that it disbursed N24.3bn on roads, N21.2bn on security, N7.8bn on health, and N3bn on other projects. Other disbursements include N2.2bn on water supply, N936m on food supply and N476m on education. It realized a total of N1.049bn from various investment activities.
It’s curious the sums which emerged after his death that he stashed in overseas accounts as the Abacha administration became the first to record unprecedented economic achievements overseeing an increase in the country’s foreign exchange reserves from $494 million in 1993 to $9.6 billion by the middle of 1997. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
He also reduced the external debt of Nigeria from $36 billion in 1993 to $27 billion by 1997. His Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund is also hailed for infrastructural projects and interventionist programmes in education, water and health.
His wife is credited with setting up the National Hospital in Abuja viewed as Nigeria’s foremost national hospital, which was initially set up as a hospital for women and children before its upgrade.
Nonetheless, Abacha was ruthless with groups he considered hostile to his administration between 1993 and 1998. There was a crackdown on the civil rights groups, media and pro-democracy groups.
It was also under him that Nigeria became a perpetual importer of petroleum products as the refineries packed up. The emergence of the ‘foul fuel’ which damaged car engines and released a repugnant smell was in his time.
General Sani Abacha earned the title ‘Thug of the Year’ from Time magazine in 1995 after the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa. Abacha developed the habit of working only at night. Availing himself to be seen publicly rarely while being averse to granting interviews.
The events of his death on June 8, 1998, at the presidential villa in Abuja are murky and while the official account is that he suffered a heart attack, other accounts say he was in the company of two Indian sex workers flown in from Dubai when he died. He was buried on the same day, according to Muslim tradition, without an autopsy. This fueled speculation that he may have been murdered by political rivals via poison.
Foreign diplomats, including United States Intelligence analysts, believed that his drink or fruit (apple) was laced with a poisonous substance while in the company of prostitutes.
Abacha was married to Maryam Abacha with whom he had had seven sons and three daughters.
In March 2014, the United States Department of Justice revealed that it had frozen more than $458 million believed to have been illegally obtained by Abacha and other corrupt officials.
On 7 August 2014, the United States Department of Justice announced the largest forfeiture in its history: the return of $480 million to the Nigerian government.
Stashed sums in other accounts have been discovered with the Nigerian government working to have the funds returned.
