IGBOS DOES NOT BEG!
“Igbo are not begger!” This was an exact statement which an old Rich woman gave to a poor Igbo girl who came to seek for her help to support her sick mother.
A young girl of about 21 years old; was begging with her sick mother’s picture. According to her, she needs the support of people to help her sick mother. She was going from street to street and shop to shop begging.
Suddenly, she entered inside the shop of an old woman who was almost 70 years. And this Rich old woman is an Igbo woman too.
The old Rich woman told the poor girl clearly that she can’t support her because of two reasons:
(1): That she is old enough to be the poor girl’s mother or even granny.
(2): That the girl is young enough to hustle and help her mother or granny instead of turning Beautiful self into a begger or prostitute.
She sat the girl down and told her how she was “plaiting people’s hair” after the Biafra vs Nigeria civil war of 1967-1970; just to support her poor father as a motherless only daughter.
She told the young girl that she didn’t became rich overnight. She narrated to her, how she started cooking and opened a restaurant – making cakes before she got married; without depending on any man.
She now advice the girl that we Igbos are not lazy – we don’t beg; we work, we don’t borrow; we lend, we don’t fear; we trust in God. “How do you expect an old woman like me to support a young able bodied girl like you at this my age, when you can become our next “Dora Akunyili?”
Finally, the old woman told her that she or other people will like to help her only if she starts doing something to help herself and support her sick mother.
The poor girl stood up in tears 😪😢 at once, thanked the old Rich woman and went out. The next day, she came back to the old woman, this time, with a bag of “pure water” in her head. She greeted the old Rich woman and told her that she is now selling this pure water to support her sick mother. The old woman gave her huge amount of money to support her business.
Written By: Aniakor Ikenna