Earlier today, I watched a preacher on television talk about the distinction between GREATNESS and GOODNESS. He drew my attention to the fact that all you needed to be great was to achieve some level of success and fame and the World system would call you great. On the other hand, if your life has gone a step further to touch humanity positively, then you have shown goodness.
I learnt something valuable that it is better to be a good man than a great one, though there is absolutely nothing wrong in being both. A lot of the great men we have around are not good men. That is also a fact.
Same day, I had to take my niece back to boarding school and we got talking about the charity work her school's proprietress does and I got to know she was the founder of an orphanage I had visited a few times somewhere in Abuja called Gishiri. Now, I was privy to the fact that she had an orphanage hitherto but I never imagined it was the same Hope for Survival Orphanage I knew. My heart melted.
This woman treats these kids as very privileged children affording all of them 100% scholarships at her schools spread across Abuja and Nasarawa State, both in the Northern-Middle Belt. And by the way, her group of schools has very good standards. My niece told me that over 50% of the students at the school she is enrolled in are from the orphanage. This woman even makes sure these kids go ahead to have tertiary education.
The first time I went to The Hope for Survival Orphanage in February this year with a few friends, we all left there almost in tears, tears as the children there was quite a number and we imagined where they would have been if they weren't in a foster facility.
This night, I want to thank all those who run such facilities round Nigeria and beyond. I also want to thank all those who donate fund and supplies to these homes. Pioneers in this sector would be Rev. Mrs Dele George of The Strong Tower Mission / Little Saints Orphanage, The Pacelli School for the Blind, The SOS Children Village, and several others.
Nigeria needs a few good men to change this country. We have too many great men as it is but a lot of them are no good.
Thank you ma.
Daniel Omizu-Ojadua
twitter: @dannyomizu
