UGHELLI— WHILE some people are born cripple, others became cripple after birth. Whichever way, it is pathetic being a cripple and nurturing a family from such a badly off position. 

Nowadays, majority of cripples are seen on the streets as beggars, begging for survival. Miraculously, some of them still make a good living out of their sad state. In Ughelli, Delta State, there is this beggar, Lawal Mohammed, who has been very consistent on Aro road. Niger Delta Voice spoke with him  

WHAT is your name and where are you from?

My name is Lawal Mohammed, I am from Kaduna state.

Were you born a cripple or became a cripple after birth?

I was born a cripple, I grew up like this, and my parents according to what they told me tried their best to make me walk on my feet without success. Perhaps, their inability to make me walk could be as a result of poverty. So, I have been like this.

Why didn’t your parents send you to school, your condition notwithstanding?

Lawal Mohammed

My parents did, I went to school but I had to drop out after my secondary education due to lack of fund, I could not proceed to a higher institution to further my study.

Further studies

I have five credits in English, Islam Religion, Mathematics, History and Geography. I attended Government College, Bida, Niger State.

So at what point did you become a beggar and for how long have you been on it?

I became a beggar when it became obvious that I have to care for my parents and sibling, being the first child of a family of two. So I have been a beggar for over 14 years now.

Do you have a wife and children?

Yes. I have a wife and three kids.

So how do you cater for your immediate family?

It is with the help of well-meaning Nigerians, who come to my aid on daily basis. We live on what I get from the streets as a beggar.   I trained my younger brother as a furniture maker and today, he is master of his own in Kaduna with wife and children.   What class are your kids and where are they? Do they live with you here?

They are  still in primary school, they are not here with me, and they are in Kaduna with their mother, my wife. They attend Galadima Adamu Primary School, Kaduna.

Are you able to provide three meals for them per day?

Not at all,  I can barely provide two meals per day for them, in most cases; it is one meal through the assistance of God.

What is your wish for the kids, do you wish to train them to tertiary institu-tion?

Very well, it is my wish to give them good education with the help of God, who is the giver of all things.

Where are your parents?

My father is late. My mother is in Kaduna.

So what do you expect government to do for you?

I need government to assist me with scholarship so that I can proceed to the university or polytechnic to acquire tertiary education or fix me up with a job in the civil service.

Today, you are in Ughelli, how do you see the life here?

Well, I do not stay here, I come from Warri every day; life in Ughelli is quite peaceful and good.

So how do you cope with the transportation?

People always help  me.