By Lawan Kale Sheriff
There lived a man called Mr Sulaiman. He was a poor farmer, who lived in the village outskirts of Maiduguri. He worked hard from morning to night to grow beans, maize, and millet for his extended family. As a peasant farmer, he did not have enough money to buy modern tools. Therefore, he used crude tools like a hoe, cutlass, etc.
Some years ago, just before the death of his father, his father called Mr Sulaiman and said, ‘’My son, I am soon going to join my father in heaven. You have to be good and kind to me and work hard. If you work hard on the farm you will receive a great surprise one day.’’
Therefore, Mr Sulaiman worked very hard on the farm but he didn’t find any surprise.
One day, Mr Sulaiman told his wife about his father’s will. He was very disappointed and he did not like to see his children dressed poorly. His wife always told him to be patient. “One day, you will receive your fortune,” she said.
A day before Ramadan, Mr Sulaiman went to his farm as usual. He was tired and unhappy, though he worked so hard. And he was still poor.
Suddenly, one day, as he was working in a corner of his farm, his hoe struck something hard. Mr Sulaiman bent down and saw a bag. It was heavy and difficult to pull out, though he tried and pulled it out. He opened the bag and looked inside, and to his surprise, it was full of gold coins. He picked up the bag and ran as quickly as he could.
As he ran, Mr Sulaiman shouted to his wife and children: “Look what I found. We are now rich!
This will be a great Ramadan!” “You deserve to be rich,” said his wife, adding that, “Because you worked hard. Your father was a clever and wise man.”
The family enjoyed a wonderful Ramadan. After some days, Mr Sulaiman went to Maiduguri, bought modern farm tools, and larger farmlands; grew food and cash crops which he sold for a lot of money. At the same time, he began to keep sheep, cows, and goats. He did not waste the money. He continued to work hard so that he and his family would never be poor again.
Moral lessons:
Hard work is the secret to success.
Words of an elder are the way of wisdom.
Abba Kale Sheriff is of Mafoni Government Day Secondary School, Maiduguri
