RUBY: Thirty Strangers Who Became Family In Twenty-Five Days

@RUBY: Thirty Strangers Who Became Family In Twenty-Five Days

Some places do more than host events; they become part of the memories we carry for the rest of our lives. Some encounters last only a few weeks, yet feel as though destiny had been preparing them for years. And sometimes, life gathers strangers in one place, gives them a little time together, and quietly creates a story none of them will ever forget. The beautiful campus of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) became the setting for one such extraordinary chapter during the TFN 2026 PSTI, courtesy of Teach For Nigeria (TFN). More than 450 prospective Fellows and School Leaders arrived from different parts of Nigeria and were divided into 17 groups. We found ourselves in RUBY — 30 prospective Fellows, young graduates and existing educators, different in age, experience, profession, background and geography, yet destined to become something more than a group. We came from the East, West, North and South. We arrived as outright strangers. We leave as family.

There is something profoundly beautiful about what happened in RUBY. Under the thoughtful, steady and unifying leadership of our two TFN Coaches, Coach Richard Ukeh and Coach Ayo Giwa, a remarkable atmosphere was created — one in which people felt safe enough to open up, bold enough to contribute, humble enough to learn and generous enough to lift others. Love found room to grow. Unity became natural. Mutual respect became culture. Honour became language. Camaraderie became routine. Banters became memories. Laughter became medicine. In barely 25 days, an uncanny connection emerged among people who had never physically met before. The youngest could stand confidently beside the eldest. Teaching neophytes could engage veterans without intimidation. Gender became irrelevant. Geography disappeared. Differences became our strength rather than our distance. Somehow, these two Coaches did not merely coordinate 30 individuals; they helped cultivate a family. Coach Richard and Coach Ayo, you did not simply lead RUBY. You created the conditions in which RUBY could become RUBY. For that, we are deeply grateful.

And everyone brought something. Nobody came empty-handed. One brought brilliance; another, experience. One brought technical skill; another, leadership. One brought charisma; another, quiet wisdom. One brought motivation; another, kindness. Someone brought the smile that lifted a tired room. Someone brought the courage that pushed an uncertain colleague forward. Someone sacrificed. Someone served. Someone listened. Someone encouraged. Someone challenged. Someone cared. And together, we discovered something powerful: everyone is useful; everyone is valuable; everyone has something to give.

We played together, solved puzzles together, rehearsed together, composed together, sang together, worked on tasks and projects together, presented together, laughed together and sometimes struggled together. We cheered one another towards contribution, excellence and success. We brought people out of their shells. We watched confidence grow. We watched hidden gifts emerge. We did not merely complete assignments; we discovered one another. And perhaps that is one of the greatest gifts RUBY gave us — the realisation that when people feel seen, heard, respected and valued, they can become more than they imagined themselves to be.

Then came the day of the Stakeholders Management session.

It was facilitated by Mrs. Dudun Peterside, a distinguished Board Member of Teach For Nigeria and World Bank Consultant. During the session, she threw a group-wide challenge before the 15 groups of PFs. The best three groups that answered the questions correctly and to the satisfaction of the panel would receive cash rewards.

For RUBY, it became more than a challenge. It became a moment.

In that 1,000-seater FUNAAB hall, before more than 400 Fellows, with a panel of nine or ten judges watching, I had the privilege of standing before everyone to defend my group. I spoke for RUBY. I answered the questions being asked by Mrs. Peterside. I carried the voice of thirty people on my shoulders, knowing that behind me stood a family that believed in me.

There are moments when preparation meets opportunity and something extraordinary happens. A moment of spontaneity.

That was one of those moments.

The result was decided on the spot, yet the official announcement would come days later at the TFN 2026 PSTI Closing Ceremony. When the name RUBY was eventually called as the first and best group, the hall of memories suddenly became a hall of celebration. We erupted in joy.

RUBY had emerged first overall in the Stakeholders Management challenge — and with it came the biggest monetary prize.

The promise was not merely made.

It was redeemed.

And almost instantly, every member of the RUBY Family received the bank alert.

The joy was indescribable.

It was not simply about the money. It was about the validation of teamwork. It was about knowing that thirty people had stood together, trusted one another and produced something worthy of recognition. It was about a promise made by Mrs. Dudun Peterside and faithfully kept. It was about Teach For Nigeria demonstrating that excellence deserves recognition and that commitment is worth rewarding.

To Mrs. Dudun Peterside, thank you. Thank you for the challenge, the intellectual engagement, the opportunity to demonstrate what we had learnt and, most importantly, for keeping your word. Your gesture created a memory that RUBY will carry for a very long time. To the management of Teach For Nigeria, thank you for building an environment where excellence, collaboration, leadership and healthy competition can thrive.

And personally, that moment remains one of the brightest memories of my PSTI experience. Standing before that large audience, facing the Facilitator and the panel, speaking for RUBY and answering the questions, I could not have known that the moment would become a defining memory of this journey. When the result was eventually announced, the joy that erupted from my family was overwhelming. 

The expressions of joy, prayers and words of appreciation across the hall touched something deeper than the prize itself.

There are victories we celebrate with applause.

There are victories we carry quietly in our hearts.

This one gave me both.

Yet RUBY did not stop there.

From 17 groups of the TFN 10th Cohort, RUBY emerged as the overall third-best group of the 2026 PSTI.

We also emerged third in the Media Challenge.

Three remarkable achievements.

One family.

One unforgettable journey.

Three times, RUBY stood among the best.

And every achievement belongs to all of us.

To Abimbola Fabode and Isaac Dawwal, our two incredible Group Leaders, thank you for your leadership, coordination and commitment. You carried responsibilities that were not always visible, yet were essential to our success. Thank you for leading with us, serving with us and believing in the family we were building.

To every member of the RUBY Family, thank you.

Thank you for your love.

Thank you for your support.

Thank you for believing in me.

Thank you for the respect and honour you accorded me.

Thank you for trusting my voice when I had to speak for us.

Thank you for standing by me when I stood before that audience.

Whatever I achieved in that hall, I did not achieve alone. I stood there carrying the confidence, prayers, encouragement, trust and expectations of thirty people who had become family. If my voice was heard, charismatic and adjudged the best, it was because RUBY was worth speaking for.

We became the envy of all, the cynosure of all eyes, and the glory of the 10th Cohort of Fellows.

Omowunmi Akinola, also from RUBY gave an ecstatic closing speech on behalf of the Cohort. Another proud moment of glory.

People wished they were in our group.

FUNAAB deserves its own place in this story. Its beautiful and serene campus did not merely provide classrooms and physical spaces; it became the landscape against which our memories were painted. Its corridors, halls, open spaces and shared moments became silent witnesses to our laughter, rehearsals, photographs, conversations, learning, collaboration and fellowship. Long after the PSTI is over, the campus will remain connected in our minds to this extraordinary season when more than 450 Nigerians gathered with one audacious hope — that education can change lives.

And behind it all stands Teach For Nigeria, whose vision is profoundly simple yet immeasurably ambitious: “One day every Nigerian child will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education.” TFN deserves commendation for bringing together such a diverse community of emerging and experienced educators, creating a platform where relationships are formed, perspectives are challenged, capacities are strengthened and people are prepared to serve children and communities better. FUNAAB provided the beautiful ground; Teach For Nigeria provided the vision, platform and purpose; and we, the Fellows, became the living human story unfolding within it.

Now, the PSTI is closing.

The bags are being packed.

The final photographs are being taken.

The familiar faces will soon become distant faces on screens.

We will return to our different states, schools, communities, families and responsibilities.

And strangely, although every one of us longs for home, there is a heaviness in knowing that this beautiful chapter must end.

Duty calls.

We must answer.

We must go where we are needed.

We must carry the mission beyond FUNAAB.

Yet something will remain behind — not merely our footprints on a beautiful campus, but a part of our hearts in RUBY.

We will miss the voices.

The banters.

The spontaneous laughter.

The encouragement.

The teamwork.

The little disagreements that ended in understanding.

The shared meals.

The rehearsals.

The photographs.

The “Are we ready?” moments.

The “We can do this” moments.

The feeling that someone had our back.

We will miss being thirty people who, despite coming from different worlds, somehow became one.

Perhaps that is what makes this goodbye so difficult: we did not spend enough time together to deserve such a deep bond, yet somehow, twenty-five days were enough.

Twenty-five days to turn strangers into friends.

Twenty-five days to turn friends into family.

Twenty-five days to create memories that may outlive the programme itself.

Twenty-five days to prove that connection does not always need years; sometimes, it only needs sincerity, openness, respect and a shared journey.

One day, years from now, we may gather again and discover that life has taken each of us in different directions.

Some will have become Principals, Heads of School.

Some lecturers.

Some education leaders.

Some community builders.

Some policy influencers.

Some will have travelled far beyond where they began.

Perhaps some will struggle to remember every detail of these days.

Yet we will remember RUBY.

We will remember FUNAAB.

We will remember Teach For Nigeria.

We will remember Coach Richard.

We will remember Coach Ayo.

We will remember Abimbola.

We will remember Isaac.

We will remember Mrs. Peterside and the Stakeholders Management challenge that became one of our defining victories.

We will remember the day thirty people waited for a result and erupted together when RUBY was announced.

We will remember the bank alerts that arrived almost instantly.

We will remember the laughter, the hugs, the congratulations and the feeling that, somehow, every one of us had won.

We will remember the thirty faces that became familiar in an unfamiliar place.

We will remember that once, for twenty-five unforgettable days, East met West, North embraced South, youth stood beside experience, educators stood beside graduates, and thirty different stories became one.

We are not just a group.

We are RUBY.

We are not just colleagues.

We are family.

We did not merely cross paths.

We left footprints in one another’s lives.

And when the years have washed away the details, when the campus has become only a distant photograph, when our Fellowship days have become stories we tell the younger generation, one truth will remain untouched:

We came to FUNAAB as strangers.

We lived as RUBY.

We achieved together.

We celebrated together.

And we leave as family.

Some encounters end when people depart.

The rare ones begin living in memory.

RUBY is one of those rare ones.

Whatever distance comes between us, whatever life makes of us, wherever our individual journeys eventually lead, a part of us will always be here — in this beautiful chapter we wrote together.

Thirty strangers.

Twenty-five days.

One family.

Three major achievements.

Countless memories.

One unforgettable RUBY story.

Go RUBY!

Go RUBY, Go!

@Dr Femi Abiola, MCE

@Fellow, Teach For Nigeria