"I Passed The Interview, They Rejected Me": Disabled Man Passes Out of NYSC, Gives 50 Wheelchairs to Others
A few months after Gwer Peter was born, it became apparent to his parents and relatives that something was not right with his legs.
While nothing much was done to salvage his weakening legs, his situation grew worse and would later confine him to a wheelchair.
Source: Original
As he made progress as an infant, it became clear that he had polio and that his legs would ultimately be affected.
He survived the deadly disease with his life, but his legs were rendered immobile. He has grown into an adult with the condition.
I never walked, Peter says
In his recollection of his childhood, Peter, who is from Benue state, told Legit.ng that he never walked. That means from when he was born, he never made use of his legs as a result of what would later be diagnosed to be polio.
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Peter said he only remembers himself crawling around as his legs failed to support his body. His parents never got him a wheelchair as a child as they saw his crawling as a normal thing.
Peter recalled so painfully:
"I'm a polio survivor. I never walked."
Peter goes to school with courage
Despite his physical condition, Peter was enrolled in a school, and his passion for education has seen him through.
He finished his primary and secondary school in Nasarawa state before proceeding to the Benue State University, where he studied Accounting.
Peter graduated in 2021 and was mobilised for the mandatory one year national service which he did in Makurdi, Benue state.
Peter provides wheelchairs for other disabled people
As someone who never had his own wheelchair as a kid, Peter made efforts to provide some for people living with physical conditions like him.
As his National Youth Service Corp, NYSC community development service, he liaised with corporate organisations to provide 50 wheelchairs to disabled persons in Benue state.
Not only that, the project saw him constructing ramps at the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC's office, NYSC and Makurdi local government secretariats.
The corporate organisations he liaised with provided the more than N3.1 million he used to execute the project.
He recalled what pushed him to embark on the philanthropy:
"I got my first tricycle in 2012 by my secondary school teacher. At my end, it wasn't because my father was too poor to afford one for me, but because he thought I was comfortable crawling around. At my end too, I felt there's no better way of leaving than crawling.
"Some persons with disabilities need this mobility devices, but do not have a way of getting one because they are poor and do not have a means of livelihood.
"Moved by this, I took up this project as my personal NYSC community development service project and started looking for partners so as to complete the project."
Peter faces discrimination
One of the major challenges of being a disabled person in Nigeria is that you face discrimination. Peter is not exempted from this as he has had his fair share of it.
He recalled a time when he was not taken for a position he applied for even though he passed the interview.
Peter tells the painful story:
"I once attended an interview for the position of an admin and finance assistant, the office was at the first floor. I performed extremely well, but the interviewer kept focusing on my disability.
"He comfortable hiring me. The same position was advertised after our interview session and I asked someone working there why they didn't choose from the 3 of us who were interviewed.
"He told me I did well, extremely well but the manager said he can't hire me because I have a disability and might have it challenging working."
What's next for Peter?
At the moment, Peter just passed out of the mandatory NYSC and has no job. He told Legit.ng that he is searching for a white-collar job, but has started learning shoe-making so as to acquire a skill.
My son, my greatest achievement on earth, says disabled mum
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that a Nigerian lady named Oliver Joy said having a son to call her own is her greatest achievement on earth.
According to Joy she was disabled from birth as she has a medical condition that makes her weak and unable to walk.
Joy, however, defied all odds to get married and bear a son with her husband named Goodnews.
She has also become a student of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, where she is studying History and International Relations.
Source: Legit.ng
