Meet a 45-year-old man who "beats all records without legs"

General News of Friday, February 1, 2019

Source: citinewsroom.com

2019-02-01

This is not a story of pity; It is a story of a Nigerian immigrant who works hard and depends solely on the upper part of his body to support his wife and six children.

Yahuza Muhammadu is a 45-year-old man who lost both his legs at the age of three, shortly after an illness, the wrong diagnosis of malaria caused to his mother for a week.

Yahuza emigrated from his country of origin because the part of Niger where he comes from is mainly occupied by farmers and he did not have the luxury of being a farmer.

Before settling in Ghana, he lived and lived in Benin, Côte d'Ivoire and Togo for one year each; selling goods on the street as he does here in Ghana to make ends meet for him and his family in Niger.

Yahuza was particularly excited about migrating to Ghana for two reasons: one, the possibility of playing football in the national football team for amputees and the other, due to from the peaceful atmosphere and welcoming nature of Ghanaians, according to what he had heard from people he already knew. had been here, he wanted to bring all his family to stay with him.

Unfortunately, he could not fulfill his dream of playing for the National Amputee Football Team because the workout was a little too tiring for him, but he did not give up on his dream of 39 bring his family to Ghana to live with him.

"I lived in Benin, Togo and Ivory Coast for a year. I was not begging for money in any of those countries, I was selling on the street. My friends have talked about Ghana and its calm. I am also very aware of what is happening in other African countries.

"In Niger, I watched a lot of television and that's how I found people who, like me on TV, were physically challenged to play football." I have always loved football. I trained and I played football for a while when I arrived in Ghana, but I could not follow because because of my age, I had a family that depended on me. " , did he declare.

Yahuza, sitting right before getting ready for the day

Yahuzu lives in Madina alongside people with disabilities, like him, begging for money every day.

By asking him why he did not choose to beg like the others, it is much easier; sitting, it depends on your disability to make money.

He said he did not think his disability reduced him by begging, adding that he was no different from anyone who worked hard to make a decent living.

He believes that everything concerns a positive state of mind, a will, a will and that, with Allah, anything is possible.

A good market day, Yahuza sells three bags of GFJ laundry powder and two bags in slow motion.

When Yahuza wakes up at dawn for Fajr prayers, he reclines and wakes up around 7am. He then prepares and goes to the Madina market to get his first GJF powder laundry bag.

The police and the traffic police help him to cross the busy road daily.

He arrives at his point of sale, cleans the premises, installs and stores bags on the sidewalk. He then picks up the bags, puts one on his head and two on his legs and crosses the traffic shouting "Yes OMO" "Yes OMO" (each washing powder in Ghana is called "OMO").

"I decided to sell the laundry because of its non-perishable nature and its ease of storage. I have shops at the Madina Market where I buy. At first, I bought and carried two bags of laundry at the Ritz junction where I was selling, but realized that carrying two bags slowed me down and that I did not want my movements to offend the drivers. are very considerate and patient with me, so I chose to take one, when it's over, I go back and look for another, "he said.

Yahuzu packs his bags

He mostly moves to sell when the cars are in traffic, waiting for the fire to move.

Around noon, when the sun burns and he is dehydrated and he is suffering from a slight headache, he leaves the laundry with some of the peddlers with whom he sells, returns to his home that is not far from the place where he sells to pray Dhuhr, the noon prayers. He then rests for a while, finds food and resumes his activity.

Yahuza stated that some of the people who buy her laundry are not people who really need it; most of them buy it to understand how much it strives to make a living in adversity.

Yahuzu said that, apart from the money he was earning with what he was selling, he still touched extra people who worried him of admiration. and pity.

"I am grateful to Almighty Allah and the generous people of Ghana, I know for sure that some of the people who buy from me do not really need powder laundry. Most of them say, "Hey Abochi, how much?" After that comes compliments, "he said.

Yahuzu takes the road

Yahuza spends 12 Ghanian cedis daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

He sends money to his family every two or three months during Ramadan, Eid al-Adha and Eid Fitr.

The eldest of his children, Yusif is in a higher institution in Niger, the others in English and Arab institutions. He sends money home to support their education.

What Yahuza wants most here in Ghana is to get a permanent national identity card.

During the two days that I spent with Yahuzu, it was very obvious that he was very popular, respected and admired for his willingness to look beyond his disability and live decently for him and his family. .