At times, some things happen and you never forget for the rest of your life.  All through your growing up till old age, those experiences remain indelible to your heart, permanently etched in your memory till death.  This could be the experience of some lucky Glo subscribers who were recently blessed by Nigeria’s  biggest digital transformation network, Globacom with an all-expense paid trip to Russia, through the network’s Go Russia promo.

The lucky subscribers who have since gone to Russia and returned to Nigeria did not do anything to merit this largesse other than using N3,000 worth of airtime on voice calls on their Glo lines or expending N5000 on data and sending ‘Go’ to a special number to officially signify their interest in taking part in the promo.

For many of the winners, it was their first trip outside Nigeria, and for some who are frequent travelers, it was their first time of going to Russia. Most of them actually thought it was all a joke, a prank or a fraud attempt at first. But it later turned out to be real. Indeed, “it was real”, exclaimed one of the winners.

One even said he refused to pick his calls after the first call from Globacom telling him he had been selected to travel to Russia free of charge. It took consistent calls and authoritative information to convince him and the other doubting Thomases that it was no fluke. Good a thing they were convinced, because according to the British Author, Leonard Ravenhill, “The opportunity of a lifetime needs to be seized during the lifetime of the opportunity.” Otherwise, the lucky slot would have gone to other subscribers.  Or, so it seems.

All the 22 winners were unanimous in their commendation of Globacom for taking them to Russia, which incidentally was hosting a major football tournament at that period.

Thus between June and July, 2018, 21 out of the 22 lucky subscribers that won were flown to Russia in four batches. One could not make it as a result of ill-health which kept him on sick bed at the time to travel.

The first batch of winners included Orewa Edwin Ehi from Port Harcourt, Aghaegbunem Marvel Chukwufumnaya from Abuja, Olugbokiki Mukail Omolola from Ogun State, Agbede Temidayo Bayodele from Ekiti State, Oladunjoye Joseph Babatunde from Ogun State, Kome Sunny Ikpeba from Delta State and Adeoye Adefisoye Simon from Oyo State.

After a send-off ceremony at the Mike Adenuga Towers Headquarters of Globacom in Lagos, the team departed Nigeria on the 13^th of June via Emirates Airlines to arrive Russia the next day. For the next five days, they visited different tourist attractions. They said they used the opportunity to watch the Nigeria-Croatia World Cup Group D match in Kaliningrad.

According to some members of the team, Orewa Edwin Ehi and Oladunjoye Babatunde, it was a fun-filled trip. Orewa said, “I enjoyed myself! Staying in Russia was fun. To travel to Russia with just three thousand naira? It is simply unbelievable! Even in my wildest dream, I did not imagine it. It is the grace of God. Sleeping in a deluxe hotel with a very big room to myself is a dream come true. If you are not using Glo yet, rush to get one and you can be a winner some day.”

Orewa has some words of advice for some misanthropists among us. “People who say Russians are racists should banish that thought as they were very friendly. Anytime, any day, when they see a Nigerian, they are fascinated. Some saw me put on green-white-green cap, they will say Nigerian? Please picture? Let me take picture with you.  It was fun,” he explained.

Oladunjoye, also gleefully recounted that he had the best fun of his life. “In Russia, Globacom treated us like kings. It was a wow experience; the food was wow, the hotel accommodation was wow; the treatment was wow. Thanks Glo”.

The second draw produced six new winners. They included Osagie Edwin Isibor from Benin City, Mayowa Ibe Akinbode from Ijaiye in Abeokuta, Muyideen Olayiwola Disu from Isale Eko, Maxwell Igwegbe from Lugbe, Abuja, Popoola Abdulrafiu Olaide from Ijebu Igbo and Ebube Benson Uzoma from Imo State.

Osagie Edwin Isibor was ill and could not make the trip. But the other five winners left Lagos for Russia after a send-off ceremony on 23^rdJune. For the next six days, it was total fun for them as disclosed by the duo of Popoola Abdul Rafiu Olajide and Ebube Benson Uzoma.

“My experience in Russia was full of fun. I had a great time while there.  We went on boat cruising, watched a live match in the VIP suite where we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly, eating all kinds of food. We had a great time. Our meals were buffets! The hotels where we were lodged were simply heavenly, exclusive and deluxe! I can never forget our boat cruise to St. Peters the Great and the museum. I cannot thank Glo enough. Thank you! Thank you!  Thank you, Glo!

Popoola could not end without this special invitation: “Nigerians who are not on the Glo network yet should quickly join the network to have a wonderful experience”, he invited all.

In her own comment, Ebube Uzoma, a 200 Level Public Administration student of the University of Nigeria and a basketball player, said it was a fun time she would remember forever. “Whatever we wanted was provided. In fact, I was treated like a President’s daughter. At a point, I even started purging because of too much of food! I really want to say thank Glo for this great opportunity. I want to implore everybody. Omo, if you do not have a Glo SIM, go buy o! It is a very good network!”

Next was batch three. Five new winners that were unveiled were Aseruoma Glory Aworiwo from Delta State, Ajayi Odunayo Felix from Oyo State, Ojokojo Ernest Paul from Delta State, Izuchukwu Kizito Alih from Enugu State and Oladele Oluseyi Adetokunbo from Osun State.

As usual, it was commendation galore from the returning winners who visited Russia between 30^th June and 4^th July. One of them, Oladele Oluseyi Adetokunbo, explained that, “Russia was absolutely everything I expected it to be. We had great weather, great food; the atmosphere was just electric. Everyone we met was very hospitable and it was an excellent experience. Our tour guide gave us a history of the Red Square. It was fantastic!”

Also narrating his experience, Kizito Izuchukwu Alih said, “I don’t know where to start from. If you are not there, it is very difficult to narrate the whole experience in just words. It’s too big to be described in mere words. We had fun. It was more than awesome. We are so, so grateful for the opportunity from Glo. I will never forget our visit to the Red Square, the stadium, the tube, the airport, the hotel where we stayed; in fact, everywhere in Moscow is so memorable men! The people we met, everything was good. I want to thank Glo for the experience. I want to pray that they allow more people to have awesome experiences like this. If not for Glo, how could I have gone on the trip? Glo promos are real. You can see I am just coming back. You can see how fresh I am now”.

The last draw produced four winners including 40-year-old Chartered Accountant Nwarisi Nsirim Sonny from Eche LG, Rivers State, 43-year-old motor dealer, Mobolaji Bolaji David from Ilesha, Osun State, 40-year-old Abuja-based Customs Officer, Akano Isaac, and 25-year-old Ojulari Peter from Ilaje in Ondo State who all departed for Russia on July 7. On arrival, they gave account of their trip to Russia where they watched the semi-final match between Belgium and France, and visited several monuments and historical sites. Two of them recalled their experiences in Russia.

According to Mobolaji David, “Our experience was fantastic! It was awesome. Though it was cold, we enjoyed every bit of it. We visited so many places. They took us on a tour round Moscow. It was a great experience and we had loads and loads of fun. Globacom, thank you for the opportunity. I enjoyed myself to the fullest. To all the doubting Thomases, you better try your luck next time because it is an experience that you will never forget”.

Akano Issac said, “I was able to watch the England versus Columbia match live. In fact, I could not believe it. It was just an experience I would not forget in a hurry. We visited their train stations. I saw the office of their Prime Minister. I was there at the Red Square. It was fun; we were able to meet so many people from all over the world, so many football fans from across the globe. They struggled to take pictures with us. Very, very interesting! I want to say a very big thank you to Glo for this wonderful experience. I really had fun”.

The lucky subscribers have become evangelists of sorts, spreading the good news of Globacom’s commitment to delighting its customers. Certainly, this crop of subscribers, together with their families and friends, will never take any promo by Globacom for granted in future.  It is obvious you will so do, so join the caring network as tomorrow may be your turn.