When fortune smiled on Olumo Rock’s teenage photographer
When fortune smiled on Olumo Rock’s teenage photographer
How a chance encounter with Ogun Police PPRO turned a 15-year-old street photographer’s hardship into a story of hope, education and a second chance. Bidemi Oguntayo reports:
At the foot of the historic Olumo Rock in Abeokuta, where tourists regularly gather to admire one of Ogun State’s most iconic landmarks, a young boy once stood with a camera in his hands, hoping that the next visitor would stop long enough to allow him to take a photograph.For 15-year-old Ridwan Bolaji, the camera was more than a device for capturing pictures.It was a means of survival.While other children his age were expected to be in classrooms, learning, playing with their peers and dreaming about their future, Ridwan had found himself on the streets, trying to make ends meet after poverty forced him out of school.But unknown to him, one particular day at Olumo Rock would change the direction of his life.A chance encounter with the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Oluseyi B. Babaseyi, during the 2026 annual week of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), tagged “Olumo 2026,” would turn what appeared to be an ordinary day of street photography into an extraordinary story of compassion.It was a moment when someone looked beyond the camera, saw the boy behind the lens and decided to find out his story.That decision has now opened a new chapter in Ridwan’s life.FROM THE CLASSROOM TO THE STREETSRidwan was born on November 3, 2010, and completed his primary education at Ijaye Community Nursery and Primary School, Gbangba, Abeokuta, in July 2023.Like many children who complete primary school, he was expected to proceed to secondary school.But for Ridwan, the transition from primary to secondary education became the beginning of an agonising period.His family could not afford the cost of keeping him in school.Consequently, the classroom doors that had once been open to him became inaccessible.For more than three years, Ridwan remained out of school.He did not, however, surrender to his circumstances.Determined to acquire a skill with which he could survive, he began learning barbering. Unfortunately, he could not complete the training.Eventually, circumstances led him to Olumo Rock, where he started taking photographs of tourists and visitors for a fee.What started as a survival strategy gradually exposed him to a talent he might never have discovered under different circumstances.With little or no formal professional training, Ridwan began learning the rudiments of photography by observation and practice.He learned how to handle a camera, position his subjects and capture moments.His talent was becoming increasingly obvious.All he needed was someone to notice.THEN CAME OLUMO 2026The opportunity arrived during the Ogun State PCRC annual week.Members of the committee had gathered at Olumo Rock for activities marking Olumo 2026 when Ridwan offered to photograph some of the participants.There was something different about the young photographer.His confidence was striking.His handling of the camera was impressive.His ability to position people and capture photographs attracted attention.Among those who noticed him was DSP Babaseyi, who was representing the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, CP Bode Ojajuni, at the event.But the police spokesperson did not stop at admiring the boy’s photography skills.He became curious about the young photographer.Who was he?Why was a boy of his age working at a tourist attraction instead of being in school?What had happened to his education?The questions eventually revealed the painful reality.Ridwan had not abandoned education because he did not want to learn.He was out of school because his family could not afford it.That revelation transformed an ordinary encounter into a humanitarian mission.Moved by the boy’s circumstances and impressed by his determination, DSP Babaseyi reportedly made a personal commitment to ensure that Ridwan returned to school.For a child who had spent more than three years outside the classroom, the promise was the beginning of a new hope.WHEN ONE MAN’S COMPASSION BECAME A COMMUNITY’S MISSIONWhat followed demonstrated the power of collective intervention.The decision of the police PPRO to support Ridwan’s education soon attracted the attention of PCRC leaders and members.One after another, individuals and organisations began to rally around the teenager.The National Safe School Club Project, under the leadership of Ambassador Prince S. O. Akintoye, donated ₦200,000 towards his education.The Chief of Staff to the PCRC National Chairman, Hon. Taiwo Akinlabi, on behalf of the Special Advisers to the National Chairman, contributed ₦100,000.The PCRC South-West, led by Prince Sunny Yemi Adenowo, donated ₦50,000, while the PCRC Zone 2 Chairman, Ven. Arch. Samson Popoola, contributed another ₦100,000.The Ogun State PCRC, under the leadership of Comrade Abdullahi Babatunde Lawal, donated ₦50,000.The Ogun State Coordinator of the PCRC Safe School Club Project, Pastor Olanrewaju Joshua, together with his Central Unit, contributed ₦25,000.Altogether, the listed institutional contributions came to ₦525,000, apart from additional personal donations made by members of the PCRC.And the support did not end there.The PCRC National Chairman, Alhaji Mogaji Ibrahim Olaniyan, pledged to personally take responsibility for Ridwan’s second-term school fees.PCRC members also made individual cash donations to support Ridwan and his mother with immediate welfare needs.For a family that had struggled to keep a child in school, the intervention was far more than a financial contribution.It was an assurance that they were no longer alone.A MOTHER’S TEARS OF JOYPerhaps the most touching moment came when Ridwan’s mother realised that the dream she had almost given up on was returning.She reportedly broke down in tears of joy.For a mother who had watched her son remain at home for years because of financial difficulties, the prospect of seeing him return to school was deeply emotional.The tears were not merely tears of gratitude.They were tears of relief.They were tears from a mother who had witnessed her child’s potential but had been unable to provide the financial resources required to nurture it.The intervention offered her something every parent desires—the opportunity to see her child receive an education and build a better future.She expressed appreciation to the Nigeria Police Force, PCRC leadership and members for coming to her family’s assistance and prayed for everyone who had contributed to changing Ridwan’s story.BEHIND THE CAMERA WAS A CHILDRidwan’s story raises a larger question about the thousands of children who can be seen every day hustling on the streets of Nigerian cities.A child selling items at a roadside.Another washing cars.One helping at a mechanic workshop.Another carrying loads.Some taking photographs for tourists.To the casual observer, they may simply appear to be children trying to make money.But behind many of these young faces are stories of poverty, broken opportunities, abandoned dreams and talents waiting to be discovered.Ridwan’s experience at Olumo Rock is a reminder of what can happen when someone takes the time to ask questions.If DSP Babaseyi had merely taken his photograph and moved on, Ridwan might still have been at Olumo Rock today, taking pictures to survive.Instead, the PPRO looked beyond the camera.He saw a child.He saw an out-of-school teenager.He saw potential.And most importantly, he acted.MORE THAN A SCHOOL FEES STORYThe intervention is significant beyond the money raised.Returning Ridwan to school could have implications for the entire trajectory of his life.A child who remains out of school for years is exposed to several vulnerabilities.Poverty can push young people into exploitative labour, criminal activities, drug abuse, trafficking and other social vices.Education, therefore, becomes more than an academic pursuit.It can serve as protection.It can provide structure.It can expose children to opportunities.It can give them the confidence and skills required to pursue their ambitions.For Ridwan, returning to school means reclaiming an opportunity that poverty had temporarily taken away.It also means that his interest in photography does not have to disappear.Instead, his education can complement his talent and perhaps eventually turn his childhood survival skill into a professional career.A TESTAMENT TO COMMUNITY POLICINGThe development also provides a compelling example of what community policing can mean beyond conventional law enforcement.The Nigeria Police Force is traditionally associated with crime prevention, investigation, arrests and maintenance of public order.But the relationship between the police and communities can also be built through compassion and social responsibility.In Ridwan’s case, the police did not merely encounter a young person at a tourist attraction.The encounter became an opportunity to identify vulnerability, mobilise support and help prevent a young life from slipping further into hardship.The PCRC’s response equally demonstrates the potential of collaboration between the police and members of the public.The organisation’s involvement transformed a personal pledge into a collective responsibility.Different individuals and groups contributed according to their capacity.Together, their contributions produced something more valuable than ₦525,000.They produced hope.COMMENDING THE POLICE LEADERSHIPThe development has also provided an opportunity for stakeholders to commend the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Tunji Disu, for the emphasis on professionalism, community engagement and people-oriented policing.The intervention gives practical meaning to the familiar slogan, “Police is Your Friend.”For Ridwan and his mother, the police were not simply an institution responsible for maintaining law and order.They became part of the story of how a young boy was rescued from the consequences of poverty and given another opportunity to pursue education.The compassion shown by DSP Babaseyi, supported by PCRC leadership and members, demonstrates that the effectiveness of a security institution can also be measured by its ability to identify and respond to the social circumstances that can create insecurity.FROM OLUMO ROCK TO A NEW BEGINNINGThere is something deeply symbolic about Ridwan’s journey.He stood at Olumo Rock with a camera, photographing people whose own lives were moving forward while his seemed to have stalled.Yet the same place where he struggled to earn a living became the place where his fortunes began to change.The camera that represented survival became the instrument through which his talent was discovered.The tourist attraction that had become his workplace became the setting for a life-changing encounter.And the people who came together for PCRC’s Olumo 2026 became witnesses to a young boy’s second chance.Ridwan’s story therefore goes beyond the ₦525,000 raised for his education.It is a story about what happens when compassion meets opportunity.It is about a child who refused to give up despite hardship.It is about a talent discovered in an unlikely place.It is about a police officer who chose to look beyond his official responsibility.It is about a community that responded.And it is about a mother whose tears of despair have now been replaced with tears of joy.THE FUTURE BEYOND OLUMO ROCKAs Ridwan prepares to return to school, his journey is only beginning.The expectation is that the support provided will give him the foundation to pursue his education while continuing to develop his interest in photography and content creation.His experience also offers a message to parents, community leaders, government institutions, security agencies and well-meaning Nigerians.There are many Ridwans.Many are not necessarily lacking talent.They are lacking opportunity.Some only need school fees.Others need mentorship.Some need someone to believe in them.Others simply need someone to stop and ask, “What happened to you?”For Ridwan, somebody stopped.Somebody asked.Somebody cared.And others followed.That is why his story is worth telling.Because sometimes, fortune does not arrive with a loud announcement.Sometimes, it arrives quietly.With a camera in the hands of a 15-year-old boy.At the foot of a rock.On an ordinary day.And when it finally comes, it can turn a story of hardship into one of hope.From school dropout to student again.From street photographer to budding professional.From survival to opportunity.From Olumo Rock to a brighter future.For Ridwan Bolaji, fortune smiled at Olumo Rock.
