THE STRUGGLE OF A MAN

Episode 1: The Fall of Zayyanu Zayyanu Abdul sat quietly by the rusted iron window frame of the one-room apartment he called home. The air was thick with heat, the ceiling fan long dead from unpaid bills. His mind wandered, not because he had nothing to think about — but because the weight of his reality was too heavy to hold. Just a year ago, Zayyanu was celebrated — a university graduate full of dreams, standing proud beside Halima on their wedding day. Now, she was gone. She left a note, not a goodbye. Just: "I can’t suffer with a man who has no direction." He didn’t blame her. Life had been unkind. After NYSC, promises of government jobs turned into excuses. CVs delivered with hope were tossed into bins behind closed doors. He had done everything right. Still, nothing worked. His younger brother, Faruk, coughed in his sleep on the mat beside him — their only piece of furniture. The boy deserved better. That night, as mosquitoes hummed and hunger tightened his chest, Zayyanu whispered to himself, And just like that, something sparked in him — a quiet decision to fight back. He stood up, walked to the cracked mirror on the wall, and stared at his reflection. “Tomorrow, I will find a way. Even if it’s selling sachet water on the street. I will not be useless.” With no electricity, he lay in the dark, wide awake, listening to the sound of determination forming deep within his soul.