In a small workshop in Ilorin, there was an old mechanic named Baba Sodiq. His workspace was filled with worn-out tools. Rusted spanners. Old screwdrivers. Bent pliers. Most people assumed they were useless. But Baba Sodiq never threw anything away. One day, a young apprentice asked him why he kept such broken tools instead of replacing them. He smiled and picked up a rusty wrench. “This one,” he said, “has saved me more times than you can imagine.” The apprentice looked confused. Baba Sodiq continued. “Tools are like people. Some are not perfect, but they still have value if you know how to use them.” He then explained how he sometimes combined old tools to fix complex problems when new ones failed. Years later, the apprentice became a skilled mechanic himself. But he never forgot that lesson. He learned to look beyond appearance. To see usefulness where others saw waste. And to value experience over perfection. Many people discard things—or people—too quickly because they appear outdated or broken. But wisdom often lies in recognizing hidden potential. Baba Sodiq didn’t just fix engines. He taught that nothing should be judged too quickly. Because usefulness is not always visible at first glance. What is something you once underestimated but later realized had great value?
