”By Allah, in whose hands our lives are, Mayowa Ahmed has left us in this world. We pray that Jannat becomes her home”.
This was the twitter post by @Asiwaju-Foye that confirmed the demise of Mayowa Ahmed and sent the online community into a frenzy of tributes for the one that was one of them. Little was known about Mayowa before her appeal for funds to treat a stage four ovarian cancer, which had emaciated her as past pictures confirmed. Her online appeal for financial donations kicked more steam with the involvement of Nollywood actress, Toyin Aimakhu.
Beyond the controversy that mired the successful gofundme appeal, one striking fact remained; the power of little drops. Mayowa’s appeal was a heart’s cry, a passionate plea which the tell tale havoc the sickness has wrecked on her body helped costumed to worm her way into the hearts of kind hearted Nigerians both at home and abroad.
There was no cosmetic approach towards her appeal. It was a blunt, naked desire; a simple cry for help. It had less fanfare and wasn’t bothered about the cinematography perfection of her video content. Expectedly, it scored a hit with Nigerians, who were already jaded from similar requests, both genuine and made up versions. Hers was not a jamboree or a test of popularity. Her appeal rode on the unspoken message that the tables might be turned at anyone, and wouldn’t you dare to help?
Expectedly, the Internet is awash with cascades of tributes to the darling of the social media. In an uncanny twist of fate, even at the height of the allegations of the fund-raising as a scam, Nigerians stood by her. Sure, opinions were divided and rarely would an online commentator not find an avenue to weave her in discussions. For the entire period the investigations lasted to determine the authenticity of the fundraising, many found themselves on both ends of the divide, debating hotly as to the motive behind the appeal. Even before the judgement, it was evident that the public court was in her favour.
Two facts helped her to gain the sympathy of Nigerians. One, her captivating bravery in choosing to live. The truth was, Mayowa mirrored her desire to live. Despite the excruciating pain she must have felt as a cancer patient, she rose to the challenge to put some spark in her gestures. She could have chosen to remain docile, strapped on the bed,emitting weakness, but she did not. Rather, she subtly reminded us of what a fun loving, young lady she was. Nigerians looked beyond the body and gazed into her soul. What they found there was a determined young lady who will appreciate a second chance to achieve all she desired.
Secondly, the platform for the appeal resonated with her donors. With over half of the working professionals constantly checking out stuff online, there was no way anyone could be in the dark about her plight. This was coupled with the fact that the emotions that played out in the video content were well highlighted. It was not a boring narrative . Each visuals of the slides show and video captivated the audience and convinced them to spare a few minutes of their precious time to watch the video. As a result, it wasn’t too long that it became a must share on social media outlets which eventually assumed the mega proportion it achieved.
Today though, Mayowa Ahmed lost the fight to cancer, but she wasn’t defeated. She finally managed to convince the doubting Thomases that goodness resides in the hearts of her fellow country men. She showed the world that all her donors were philanthropists who needed neither frills nor fanfare to make their donations. Mayowa asserted the fact that better done than undone. In her last breath, she must have been consoled that she gave her all and fought with faith for her life. For her it was nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Audieu Mayowa.
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