Mohammed Abdullahi, a 36-year-old man from Bichi, Kano State, has faced life-altering challenges after losing his mobility at the age of ten (10) due to an undiagnosed illness. Despite this, he continues to persevere in Lagos, where he struggles with discrimination and lacks access to essential services for people with disabilities. In this interview with Oluwatosin Adiyan, Mohammed, a father of two, shares how he is passionate about education to improve his livelihood.

Below is an excerpt of the interview.

 

Oluwatosin: Good afternoon, sir. Can I meet you, please?

Mohammed: Good afternoon. My name is Mohammed Abdullahi. I am thirty-six (36) years old and I am from Bichi, in Kano State. I am married to one wife with two kids. My wife and children are in Kano State while I reside in Lagos. This is because I cannot afford the house rent that can accommodate them in this city. I have been living in Lagos for the past thirteen (13) years.

 

Oluwatosin: Can you talk about your childhood and your knowledge of how you acquired this disability?

Mohammed: Hmm! In my case, I was not born with this challenge. I could walk, play and move around and go to school like other children till the age of ten (10). I love education, so I completed my primary school. There is this afternoon I came back from school with a serious headache, so I went into my room to sleep. After some time, I woke up and met my mother and father in the room, worried about why I was sleeping that time of the day. While still in bed I told my mother about the headache and how I felt. She immediately told me to get up so that she could get some medication, in my attempt to get up from the bed, I discovered I couldn’t get up from my bed, it became difficult for me to stand, my mother who thought it could be just body weakness tried to pull me up but all effort was abortive. My mother got scared and she took me to the hospital. We did this for so many years, from one hospital to the other, but could not get a solution to the problem. As a result, I could not further my education. I gave up when I lost my mum and accepted my fate.

 

Oluwatosin: How do you get this your moving aid (wheelchair)? Did you get it yourself or as government aid to help people with disabilities?

Mohammed: This particular wheelchair was bought for me by my father, he got it for me some years back. Although, I have one given to us by the Kano state government a very long time ago, which I used for so many years, before it got worn out.

 

Oluwatosin: Have you ever been denied or segregated when it comes to enjoying social services and facilities before? If so, how do you feel?

Mohammed: For the first question, I will say yes. There are some times I visit some banks, the security personnel will summon me to park somewhere in the compound, and keep me there for a very long time, because I can not move at my will into the bank, like others who can. I will be where they parked me, and I will see them allowing others go in. Many times, I would be delayed outside before I can have access to do any transaction inside the bank. This is a mean act towards people with disabilities that should be stopped. This is one of the things that makes me feel bad, that I cannot enjoy or social facilities others enjoy, just because I am on a wheelchair.

I want to plead with the public to not detest PWDs, be patient with us and treat us well. We are not pretending, we only found ourselves in it.

Oluwatosin: You mentioned the other time that you loved education, if you were given the opportunity to further your education would you embrace it?

Mohammed: Yes, I will be very happy to get such an opportunity. I believe if I am learned, I will be able to do more things like having my own business and how to run it, ability to read and write very well. I don’t mind my age at all, I still want a formal education, because I know how important education is. I believe it gives one edge over his/her peers.

 

Oluwatosin: What other challenges do you face Mr. Mohammed?

Mohammed: There are times when many people see me as someone who begs too much and lazy. This is not true, despite my hand is not very strong because it was a bit affected as well when I developed this ailment, and it can only handle not very strong tools or equipment. I learnt a craft in my home town, it’s basically knitting of caps, Fulani caps and likes. I hate laziness, I like to acquire new skills because I have to provide for my wife and children, as a father. This cap is called DUCANCHI in the Hausa language. I learnt it at Maduku, in Kano State. If I have enough money or get a sponsor, I will get enough material that would help me establish this business perfectly in Lagos. I have also tried to learn other skills but had to opt out because of my little incapabilities.

 

Oluwatosin: In addition to cap making, what other skill have you acquired?

Mohammed: I have learnt shoe making/repair, so that I can earn little income to survive on a daily basis. Thereafter, I got a few basic tools and began after my training but had to quit at some point. This is because I could not handle fixing of big and strong shoe soles, hard leathers and other strong materials that require extra strength to fix with my hand. Look at my hands, he said, spreading his two hands, touching each of the fingers, ‘’you can see that it is very small and my fingers are tiny and fragile”. There is a limit to shoes my hands can fix and handle properly.

I also did spend three (3) years learning manual wheelchair weathering, exactly this type I am presently using. However, I cannot produce any because aside from the fact that I lack the strength to produce, I can’t afford the tools or pay people to work for me. Therefore, it is difficult to put all I learnt into practice, as a result of the former mentioned.

One other thing I did before I relocated to Lagos was sell a few daily provisions/needs such as beverages in sachets, toiletries, snacks, drinks and the like in Kano. Presently in Lagos, I cannot afford to venture into such small business because it requires that I rent a space, at least get a kiosk or mini container stand, which will cost me a certain amount of money which I cannot afford. I am willing and ready to work if I get support. I am smart at learning new things as far as it’s legal. Like I mentioned before, I really want to start my cap business again, it is something I love doing.

 

Oluwatosin: In getting government aid, how easy has it been for you?

Mohammed: Not very easy at all. Like I said earlier, I have only gotten one when I was much younger. For example, there are times when the government release facilities or aids for people with disability (PWD) such as wheelchairs, clutches and other aids, it is only people with connections that acquire theirs first, before the remaining is passed to the rest. Sometimes, these aids might not go around because large numbers would have been selected or kept. So, for some of us, we only hear the good news, we have never benefitted.

 

Oluwatosin: What would you like to tell other PWDs to correct public impression about them?

Mohammed: First and foremost, I would like to say that for those who still have the strength and capability to acquire skills and venture into one thing or the other should please go ahead, so far, the skill is legal. It is good to have something to do to meet your daily needs considering the present economic situation in the country. Let us correct the impression that we are lazy, derive joy in begging and extorting money from people to survive.

Lastly, I would like to encourage my people to always keep themselves clean and look neat. You can not attract helpers when you are dirty, he said. For those who cannot on their own, they can plead with family or friends to help them. This will also change some persons’ beliefs about the notion that individuals with disabilities smell, are dirty, and are disease carriers.

 

Oluwatosin: Thank you so much Mr. Mohammed Abdullahi for this great opportunity to have this interview section with you, and I hope your story inspires others.

 

This interview was inducted by Oluwatosin Adiyan, MSc Student of Mass Communication (2023/2024), University of Lagos, following the training on Disability Reporting facilitated by Blessing Oladunjoye, Publisher of BONews Service.