Hassan Ladan and Adam Kamla 

In the late hours of February 17, we decided to visit one of the university’s Special Force Guard, Manato Dastu.

Our lecturer had challenged us to go out in search of heart-touching stories and situations that demand immediate intervention.

That’s what took us into the fringes of the campus. 

I woke up very early this morning with a stomach ache. I sat up for a while and contemplated on what to do about it. I decided to go to the bathroom. Once I got there, I was unsure of whether to sit on the toilet seat or place my head over it.

Suddenly, I began to sweat. Hot beads of sweat started popping out of my forehead and dripping all the way down to my chin. Unable to stand or sit, I sprawled on the floor with my face lying against the cool tiles.

I remained there for a while, rolling my eyes to the back of my head, savouring the coolness of the floor, the subtle smell of disinfectant used by the cleaners.

Silently, I listened to the noises inside my stomach.

Mr. Mohammed Ahmed, 46, was one of the recipients of the outstanding staff awards that were given to ten exceptionally hard-working staff of the American University Nigeria, AUN, on the occasion of the institution's tenth Founder's Day ceremony.

However, Mr. Ahmed's road to the award was a long one, for when he completed his secondary education, many years before AUN was established, he didn't dream of working in a university. He was sure that he would not further his education, so he made up his mind to start a petty trade. He would, however, end up doing a blue-collar job. But not satisfied with what he was earning, Ahmed quit the work and went to work with Sabo Line Transport. He would go on do other jobs, including working as a photocopier operator, in order to make money with which to take care of his wife and children.