Ahmed, the Speed Artist who went Viral is Starting a New Life after Rehabilitation ??

The power of social media!

Twitter user @NupeMufasa, Sulayman Abu-bakr, met Ahmed outside his office building back in March, and the man offered to make a sketch of him under 5 minutes.

Sulayman offered, giving 5 minutes of his time, and Ahmed delivered.

Sulayman shared the story of the encounter on his Twitter, and, somehow, it went viral, with people asking that he share Ahmed’s details.

Saw this random dude outside my office and he offered to draw me under 5mins.
His name is Ahmed. pic.twitter.com/hCiZQnmKIW

— Sulayman Abu-bakr (@NupeMufasa) March 7, 2018

Sulayman invited Ahmed back into his office and discovered his story: his wife had passed, and while he has a family in Kaduna, he was squatting with a friend in Abuja.

For those interested; @abikedabiri @AfroVII @Nobsdaslushhkid I invited him back to the office today to hear his story and I showed him your comments.

His wife is late, he has a family in Kaduna but squatting with a friend in Abuja and he would like to own a studio some day. pic.twitter.com/CjXs6KVJWq

— Sulayman Abu-bakr (@NupeMufasa) March 9, 2018

A GoFundMe page was opened to help get Ahmed’s life back on track, and after £4,438 was raised, Ahmed was checked into Synapse Services Centre for rehabilitation from drug use.

After 13 weeks (91 days), Ahmed has been checked out from the rehab center, to continue his rehabilitation as an outpatient.

Update: After 13weeks (91 days) in rehabilitation, @AhmedArtistNGA just checked out of Synapse. He was picked by his brother and we were there to offer him our support as always.

His after care plan involves; Urine Drug Testing, Individual physiotherapy, Medical officer review. pic.twitter.com/5LFjjKIfXx

— Sulayman Abu-bakr (@NupeMufasa) June 20, 2018

Ahmed himself was on BBC Pidgin with Sulayman where he shared his story. Him discussed discovering he could draw, and pursuing it as a career.

Couple of months ago, I shared my story with the BBC Pidgin team. Enjoy! pic.twitter.com/EvPQdZJsK6

— Ahmed The Artist (@AhmedArtistNGA) June 6, 2018

Ahmed has now been sober for 91 days, and he shared the news on his Twitter, writing:

I just reached a milestone of sobriety with 91days. #Recovery #Addiction

I just reached a milestone of sobriety with 91days. #Recovery #Addiction

Day 1 & Day 91 pic.twitter.com/b5VOc4lskr

— Ahmed The Artist (@AhmedArtistNGA) June 20, 2018

Congratulations to Ahmed! We’re rooting for him.