Zakiya Yunusa Ibrahim
In every community, there must be two set of people, the haves and the haves not.
While some have the ability and capacity to afford their needs and cater for their families and relatives others cannot, due to some instances of physical deformities. Such people with such problems may have different forms of disabilities, ranging from broken legs, one arm or none ,one leg or none ,one eye or none ,and these sets of people are found everywhere in the world.
These set of people in Northern Nigeria and other developing countries are known for their begging attitude just to earn a living. They are mostly cited on streets, in schools, markets or other places where people gather. But for mallam Iliya, a one armed man in Bayero university kano, there is ability in every disability. The routine struggle of a typical Hausa man to feed his family is not new to him, his conviction were that he can do everything a healthy man can do, despite his deformities.
Mallam Iliya is a well known vegetables and beverages seller at Bayero university new campus ,he is known to be a hardworking man among his partners despite his fact of been a single arm person ,he struggles and try all he could to run a business that will help him cater for his family. He did not believe in being dependent and liability to the community.
The keenly hopeful Iliya started his business ten years ago after his resolve to follow his friends to Nigeria from Niger republic. His frequent travels in search of greener pastures cost him one of his arms, but despite the challenge, Mallam Iliya refused to concede to his challenge. “I was advised by my friends to go back to Niger, but I vehemently refused, because that will amount to liabilities on others” he said.
He however decided to start selling vegetables just to earn a living and boycott being a beggar and liability on others. His ability to challenge his disability has yielded result, as the gentle man is able to send his children to school without canvassing the support of any.
Apart from sponsoring his children, the gentleman also provides all the needs of his family, ranging from provision of food, shelter, health care and other necessities.
Mallam Iliya challenged those with disabilities not to allow it have negative impact in their lives as they stand a better a chance to become anything in life.
Zakiyya Yunusa Danlam writes from Bayero University, Kano.
