You can't SERVE and STARVE: A Song for Ayomikun Wuraola Zainab Aderounmu

 

Principles are rules that explain how things happen. A fascinating thing about principles is that they work; provided they are well applied. For instance, God says "Give and it shall be be given unto you...". This means even if you're a sinner, provided you give, the Lord will reward you for being a giver even if He will still question you for being a sinner. Again, when God says "I'll bless the works of your hand", he was not necessarily talking to some persons. For Him, working is a form of prayer and every genuine worker deserves blessings, irrespective of their faith. 

One of such principles that I uphold is the need to SERVE. Serving is the first of the five stages of life. You serve by making yourself available to the betterment of life for others. As a principle, when you serve, you learn; when you learn, you connect; when you connect, you earn; when you earn, you begin to attract. Human existence has no record of anyone who strives towards genuinely making life better for others and whose life ends in disarray. As I have said a couple of times, when I do not know what is next in my life, I get busy helping others fix what is next in their lives. You cannot serve for God's sake and be forsaken by God. 

This is the story of Zainab Aderounmu who appeared too restless, engaged and busy with too many things as an undergraduate, get successfully graduated with a First Class Honour in the Department of English, LASU, being the second time the Department produced a first class in over 35 years of the institution. Zainab is either busy tutoring others, or running the affairs of LASU Debate Society or getting something done in the Muslim Students Society. With all of these, she graduated with the best result in the Department in the last academic session with a First Class Honour. 

As a beneficiary of her service to humanity, Zainab volunteered to create and manage a Twitter account for me just so that my lessons and quotes can reach a wider audience. I asked if such would not disturb her other engagements and she said she could manage it. Accepting the responsibility has not been the big deal for me, but how she has diligently and consistently shared my lessons on the platform for over three months. When Hashim Yussuf LegalBard who handles my Instagram account had to stay away for a while, Zainab added this to her kind free service to me and for all of these she never negotiated a payment. It is funny how Zainab would even get me gifts for every festivity. 

And here is the question that follows: hasn't God rewarded her humaneness and service to humanity? No one serves and gets starved. Here is to celebrate a cerebral, prolific, determined, hardworking, focused and purpose-driven young lady, Zainab Aderounmu. Do not stop being instrumental in the growth of others. And you can trust God never to leave you to yourself. 

I celebrate you, dear one! Go up; go higher!

(c) 2022 Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose, PhD 

Department of English

Lagos State University