By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye
“This Is Only the Beginning”
The gates of the retirement home opened slowly, but what walked in that morning was anything but quiet.
Led by their president, Mrs. Damilola Igbasan, members of the Muslim Teachers College Old Students Association, Class of ’83 (MUTECO ’83) arrived not with fanfare, but with purpose.
Thirteen men and women, bound by history, strengthened by compassion, came bearing gifts, smiles, and something far rarer, remembrance.
For the elderly residents, many of whom have learned to measure time in long, quiet hours, the visit felt like a sudden rush of light.
Food supplies worth millions of naira were presented with bags carried with care, boxes unpacked with reverence.
But beyond the rice, provisions, and essentials was a deeper offering: dignity.
The unmistakable message that they were not forgotten.
The visit, confirmed by the Technical Director of the Lagos State Sports Commission, (LSSC), Uthman Ola Okunnu, and made available to FIRST ZEALMEDIACAST BLOG, was part of an annual tradition that MUTECO ’83 has sustained for decades.
Year after year, they return, not out of obligation, but out of conviction.
Standing among the residents, Mrs. Igbasan spoke not as a distant benefactor, but as a daughter of society.
“This is our way of giving back,” she said, her voice steady but filled with emotion. “What we are doing today is what we all pray for tomorrow to be cared for, to be seen, to be loved when age has taken its toll.”
Her words landed heavily in the room. Some of the elderly smiled quietly. Others nodded. A few wiped away tears they did not bother to hide.
This was not a charity for the cameras. This was continuity former students honouring the values that shaped them, now returned to society in full circle.
And then came the promise.
“This is only the beginning,” Mrs. Igbasan declared. Next year, she revealed, the gifts would be bigger, grander, and more far-reaching. What the public was seeing now, she stressed, was merely the tip of the iceberg.
But her vision stretched beyond MUTECO ’83. She issued a clear and heartfelt call to action, one directed at well-meaning individuals, corporate bodies, and those blessed with resources to walk this same path.
To understand that the elderly are not a burden, but a treasure. Living libraries of sacrifice, resilience, and wisdom who deserve, above all else, love.
As the delegation prepared to leave, the atmosphere lingered with warm, grateful, changed. What began as a visit ended as a reminder: a society is judged not by how it celebrates youth, but by how it honors age.
For MUTECO ’83, this mission is far from over. It is, indeed, only the beginning.
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