The moment unfolded after a group of students learnt that Mogaji, a familiar and deeply loved presence on campus, had not been able to visit his family back in Nigeria for more than a decade. Rather than simply expressing sympathy, they decided to act. 

As Mogaji took in what was happening, the emotion was impossible to contain. "We love you. You're part of the family," the students told him, words that clearly struck deep.

Mogaji's story resonated so widely because it reflected something many in the Nigerian diaspora know well: the painful gap between building a life abroad and maintaining the ties that matter most at home.

For how long had Mogaji not seen his family? Years of work, financial obligations, and the high cost of international travel can stretch what was meant to be a short absence into something much longer. For Mogaji, that gap had stretched to 11 years. His colleagues and the students he watched over every day on campus had become his community in that time, which is perhaps why so many of them felt moved to give something meaningful back.