In the densely populated dusty plains of Ezza North, in Ebonyi State, there are limited opportunities for youths who do not come from privileged homes. Valentine Nwafor, like most of his mates in the area, dropped out of school at 15 and became a trader.

Braving the horrors of the bad roads linking the community with the state capital, Abakaliki, Nwafor made weekly arduous trips to stock his small shop. For 13 years, he lived this life; struggling to make ends meet and constantly hoping for a miracle. Like many Nigerians who are poor, Nwafor constantly sought legitimate ways of bettering his lot.

On October 1, 2010, he won N5000 in the Coca Cola ‘Open-4-Happiness’ promo, initiated to celebrate Nigeria’s 50th Independence anniversary. While this was not the miracle he wanted, it spurred him to vigorously try his luck at subsequent similar promotions.

So when Coca cola launched its current promo, ‘Open and Win’ on February 28, 2012, designed to create 70 millionaires in 70 days by awarding N1 million to one lucky winner each day of the exercise, Nwafor latched onto the opportunity. From promo info, consumers are expected to text a code found under the crown of a bottle of coke to a specified number to stand a chance of participating in the draw.

Nwafor took several stabs at the jackpot; 16 to be precise. “I just know that Coca cola doesn’t do fake things, so I sent all the codes I collected, even though my friends were laughing at me, saying it is not true,” he said. “I was determined to keep trying and I did not allow their laughter to discourage me; after all, they saw when I won the N5,000 two years ago. So I continued to send the code to the number. I sent it 16 times.”

Then, on March 6, 2012, he got the phone call that changed his life. “When somebody called me and said she was from Coca-Cola and that I have won N1 million, I didn’t know what to say,” he said. “I was happy and confused at the same time. They told me to find a nearby airport so that they will arrange a flight ticket to bring me to Lagos; but I was afraid because I have never entered a plane before.”

His friends’ laughter increased when he informed them of the development; they dismissed the phone call as a prank by a fraudster. Nwafor refused to be deterred; he borrowed N10,000 from an uncle, kept the news from his family, and jumped on a bus to Lagos.

“The Coca-Cola people were surprised when I called to say I was in Lagos,” he said. “It was when they arranged for me to be brought to their office in Ikoyi that I started thanking God. Then, when they lodged me in a big hotel that night, I finally called my friends and family to inform them of what is happening.”