From his wheelchair, Awobona out with four books

JANUARY 27, 2015 BY AKEEM LASISI 0 COMMENTS

   

 

 

Ayodele Awobona

Ago Iwoye, Ogun State-based spinal cord injury patient, Ayodele Awobona, speaks on how he took to writing, AKEEM LASISI writes

Since he lost his spinal cord some 18 years ago, he has had to lead a sober life. Most times, he is either in his wheelchair or he is lying on a bed.

But if one says Ayodele Awobona is senile, one would not be fair to him. In disability, he has discovered an ability that stands him out among his peers. He discovered that he could write and followed his dream to the letter. Today the Ago Iwoye, Ogun State-based man is a proud author of four educational books.

Our correspondent encountered him at Lumina Hospital, Magboro, Ogun State, where he was recently treated for sores. There, he narrated his story, his emotion swinging up and down.

Once an agile young man, fate dealt Awobona a blow on December 13, 1997. He had just completed his Ordinary Nigeria Diploma programme then. Having lost his father in 1995, he decided to hustle to gather money for his HND programme, and to be able to support his mother to take care of his four siblings and some other members of the extended family.

“I was operating a kabukabu (a cab). That day I was driving along the Badagry Expressway in Lagos. But trouble came when the cab lost a tyre while on motion. I tried to control it, but a woman driving in front of me panicked and swerved to one side. An attempt by me to further manage the situation failed. My cab somersaulted and that was it. It was the third day that I woke up that I found myself in a hospital,” he said.

Although he was admitted in a clinic in Badagry and later visited a traditional healer, the doctors’ verdict was extremely tough when it came. His spinal cord was broken.

He adds that he was downcast in the first two years, as he imagined himself living in a wheelchair. He was demoralised, but his mother and everyone around him encouraged him and started raising money for him.

Also not long after, a fellow gave him some books and curricula to study. It was after he had finished reading the stuff that he realised the other guy’s intention. Instead of collecting the documents, he urged him keep them and practicalise what he (Awobona) had learnt by writing his own books. He was also ready to go into partnership with him.

Friends rallied round him and bought him a computer. Even as he started to help some students of the Ago Iwoye University to source research materials, he started writing. That is how he came up with – the four titles, including Basic Concepts in Mathematics for Beginners and Basic Concepts in English for Beginners.

But Awobona says he needs the support and partnership to push the books. Luckily for him, he has secured approval for the books in Oyo, Ogun and Lagos States. But he has no fund to mass-produce them and no structure to take them round.

He says, “Being in a wheelchair means I cannot move round to market the books. So, the challenge now is how to make use of the approval. I need support in this area. I also need money to produce the works in large quantities. I don’t mind if I get partners to do it so that we can share the proceeds.”

Awobona advises people living with disabilities to discover the abilities in them. He notes that they should not despair, but explore their potential and environment to get the best in life.

“They should not be dejected. They should not look down on themselves. They should find a way of making an impact on the society. Of course, people should also not look down on those with disabilities. They should not discriminate against us. They should not alienate us. When you get close to us, you will see the abilities we have,” he explains.