Touching story of man whose life was changed by unusual friendship

Ifeanyi Nwadike is lucky to be alive. After carelessly walking across a busy road in the Ketu area of Lagos last Tuesday, he could have been tucked six-feet below the earth’s surface by now. Screams of passersby alerting him to the danger he was putting himself in yielded nothing. He was soon slammed to the floor by a speeding tricycle, sustaining bruises in the process. But rather than head to a hospital for treatment, the 45-year-old dragged himself into a popular pub in the area to extinguish the ghost of those few deadly moments.

“Give me a chilled bottle of ‘33’ Lager,” he said to a young female attendant, who stared at him strangely. “I am fine. I’ll look for a chemist around to treat my wound once I leave here,” he added quickly as if to allay her fears.

A graduate of Industrial Engineering from a university in the Eastern part of Nigeria, Nwadike has witnessed some of life’s lowest moments in recent months. First losing his job in a plastic producing factory after the place was shut by a government agency following allegations of environmental pollution, to having two of his four children withdrawn from school over unpaid fees; the 45-year-old has come to understand what suffering truly means. Finding another job or means of livelihood has been tough.

“I don’t know what to do or where else to run to,” the middle-aged man, who cut a forlorn figure, mumbled pathetically while taking a sip of beer. “This suffering is too much,” he added as two men seated at a corner of the expansive pub observed him quietly.

Shortly after gulping the second glass of beer, the female attendant dropped another bottle of ‘33’, a renowned friendship brand, on the table for him. Filled with surprise, the 45-year-old quietly told her that he did not order for another bottle. Flashing a warm grin, the young woman told him that the offer was from the two men sitting opposite him. As Nwadike raised his hands to thank them for the kind gesture, they beckoned on him to join their table.

“Take a spoon and help yourself to some catfish pepper soup,” one of the men, who later introduced himself as Raphael, said to him while signalling on another attendant to deliver two extra bottles of ‘33’ on the table. “We had observed you from the moment you walked in looking ruffled and distressed,” he continued. “I knew there was something bothering you seriously. I don’t know what it is but I’ll just ask that you take things easy,” he added.

A few minutes later, after the three men had treated themselves to more bottles of ‘33’ and plates of well-spiced catfish pepper soup, a popular delicacy in many parts of Nigeria, the conversation assumed another dimension, setting the tone for a friendship that would go beyond the pub.

“So what could have bothered you to the extent of walking into a busy road without checking for oncoming vehicles?” Jude, the oldest of the three men asked Nwadike. “If you’ll be willing to share it with us, who knows, we might have ideas on how to solve it,” he added while flashing a quick look at Raphael, who nodded in affirmation.

Without wasting time and mincing words, the father of four opened up his heart to the two strangers, who had suddenly become his friends.

“Since losing my job, I have searched for work in several places without luck.

“In fact, there was a time I went to the secondary school in our area to apply as a teacher, I was told to go to Alausa, the state capital where the Ministry of Education is situated. After going there for a few times without luck, I stopped.

“Two of my children have stopped schooling because there is no money to pay their fees. It has been tough surviving with an unemployed wife. I was thinking about all these problems when I walked into the road,” he explained.

Moved by his heartbreaking story, Jude, after a brief consultation with his friend, offered to employ Nwadike as manager of a new bakery he had established in the neighbourhood. According to him, the 45-year-old’s background in engineering, more than his recent travails, was the reason behind his gesture.

“Thank you so much, sir,” the elated man said while fighting tears. “It was as if God directed me into this place for this purpose. I will always be grateful to you for this opportunity and promise to work hard and honestly to grow the company,” he added before finally succumbing to his emotions – tears of joy.

Amidst the moving scene, owner of the popular joint, Madam Debby, who happened to be at the place at the time, ordered one attendant to serve all three men another round of ‘33’, as according to her, they had shown that genuine help indeed exists and could be formed even over bottles of a friendship brand like ‘33’.

“A lot of customers come here to enjoy themselves, but I must confess that I have not witnessed this level of love for a total stranger exhibited here,” the woman said while commending Jude and Raphael for their kind gesture. “I hope and wish this friendship lasts. I am really moved,” she added.

While revealing how that encounter has changed his life during a chat with Saturday PUNCH a few days ago, Nwadike said that since coming in contact with the two men he now describes as “God-sent”, life has improved significantly for him and his family.

“If I had not gone into that pub that day to take a bottle of ‘33’ despite the bruises I sustained from the accident, I may never have met Mr. Jude and his friend who has helped me.

“My family and I would always be grateful to them because our lives have changed for the better,” he said excitedly.


















































































































































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