The story of Chibor’s disability
Jun 2nd, 2014 by admin
In Nigeria, over twenty million people live with some form of disability. The Centre for Citizens with Disabilities, a non-governmental organization says they are about 19 million. This makes them the largest minority group in the country. Recently I had the opportunity to meet with a young Nigerian man who is living his life to the fullest despite his physical disability. Michael Chinobi is a twenty-eight years old bus conductor in Lagos. A job he likes because begging is not an option. He interacts with people without a care to his disability. On closer look, it is his ingenuity that carries him through his job though one cannot help but notice that his handicap affects his ability to carry out a job mearnt for the able bodied individuals particularly in a place like Lagos. His story is like no other, he had the use of both legs until an accident at fifteen left him physically disabled. It happened in his home state, Abia while playing football with his friends when a friend stepped on his shin. The accident which occurred in 2001 left him with just the use of a leg; his left leg had to be amputated. According to him, he initially thought it was nothing but when he got home, he developed an excruciating pain that he had to be rushed to traditional healers and bone healers who tried to straighten it. Unfortunately, after some days, the leg became rotten and it had to be amputated. That became the turning point of his life.
This changed his life. He began to see life differently, he took solace in God but his desire to leave Abia state to seek greener pastures was overwhelming. In 2002 he decided to take the bull by the horn. He moved to Lagos. It wasn’t easy but he planned to move on with life. According to Walt Disney, “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we are curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” This was exactly what Micheal did.
In Lagos, a friend assisted him and introduced him to the State sports Council. He took up discus, javelin and shot-put. It was simply proving he had the ability and not the disability. He was determined that despite his handicap he could still attain great heights. So he dedicated time to sports and working full time as a bus conductor during the day, in the evenings he went to the sports council to play his favorite games. Though, he yearned to return to his first love, football but it was difficult, the game had cost him his leg. At first, he was content to be involved in other sports and simple watch able bodied men play football. It never crossed his mind that he could play football again.
One day, he remembers that day vividly, he was watching the able bodied men play when someone looked in his direction and asked if he could play football. He hesitated but he summoned up courage and said yes he could try. Eventually, he joined the physically disabled team and like they say the rest is history. What followed were opportunities he never dreamt of. Now, he is the captain of the amputee football team. This has taken him to other African countries. He was in Sierra Leone for the West African Nations Cup. He says he has a number of visas to play in Europe but due to lack of funds and sponsorship he has not been able to travel.
At this point he paused and I immediately realized that if truth be told some disabled persons actually look beyond their handicap and make a success of their lives. I realized Michael did not see his disability as an obstacle because his enthusiasm for life is indescribable. He has hope and has dared to dream and though times were tough, he is tougher. Without doubt he is doing his best at the end of the day. Certainly, William Shakespeare said it all “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exists and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts….”
Micheal is playing his part and honestly he has the key, he is giving life his best despite his pain, handicap and sometimes injustice by fellow men, he says.
So I asked how did you arrive at this point in your life? According to him, His believe in God has a tremendous role to play. It is his goal to give everything he does, all his best. It says it’s not by his power but the power of God and his absolute trust in him. He has been a bus conductor for twelve years and it has not been easy. He has never fallen. Again he sees the hand of God in this because it’s certainly not easy even for the man with the use of both legs.
With his new life in Lagos he is not afraid to pursue his goals, as a bus conductor during the day and a sports man in the evening. This has provided him his daily bread and made him content. When he looks at himself all he see’s is someone who is complete in the eyes of God so having one leg is not an excuse not to work hard and earn a living. The down side is the negative reaction some people have towards him. For him, there is no bitterness; he understands there are different kinds of human beings. Some people pity him and wonder how this guy with one leg jumps using the crutches in the bus. Others are neither bothered nor concerned and some have said to him, “it’s about time he found something else that would keep him better occupied. He really doesn’t mind these people.
Though playing football makes him happy, he knows he cannot be a bus conductor neither can he continue to play football for ever. According to him, he has been blessed with skills he wants to utilize. He is happily married and looks forward to having a family in the nearest future. His father and sisters live in Abia state; He lost his mother many years ago.
Presently, what has the disabled people association done to assist you, are you aware that such a group exist? In Nigeria, Michael says, it’s always about money. I really do not know what goes on there in the high places. The truth is being a disabled person in Nigeria is difficult if you do not have the resources to take care of yourself. Besides it is our National anthem that even if we are suffering, we pretend that we are not. Disability or no disability our country is hard. Each day I wake up I thank God I am living, breathing, moving around and able to hustle.
If I had the opportunity to meet the President or even Governor Fashola, I would simply say to him first, do the right thing, and do good things for disabled persons because I know despite my disability some are worse off. With just one leg I know what I am passing through. The most important thing is giving these people what they want because they deserve it and they need it.
As a disabled person living in Nigeria what does December 3rd mean to you, it has been set aside by the United Nations to celebrate people like you? I don’t know, when we are invited to those events, it is about eating food, we are not hungry, we need a source of livelihood, and we need to move around without problems. I could go on and on. As a person my number one goal is to pursue a business hoping to get enough funds to start.