How wind storm turn me to cripple – Disabled woman with Jibore

By Ahmed Ajikobi
A physically challenged woman, Ibrahim Zainab has recounted ordeal on how a strange wind crippled her.
She made this known to National Pilot in an exclusive interview with her at an empowerment programme by a Non-Governmental Organisation with the name, Jibore Impeccable Foundation held at Danialu Alapata area on Tuesday.
Mrs Ibrahim explained that, the incident happened while she was a kid at the age of three.
“I was not born a cripple. My Mother told me that a strange wind blew on me while going out with her and I fell down and I fell sick, as a result of the sickness, I couldn’t stand up to walk on my own ever since.

I haven’t had any support, my dad died while I was a kid, I can’t even describe him. We were staying at Balogun Fulani then where I stay with my grandfather. I grew up crawling. I am a kind of person with can do spirit and that has been helpful to me.
“I will manage to go to buy orange and I placed it at the front of our house to retail. People start to patronise me. Gradually, I also added coconut and powdered milk before I graduated to provision selling. I live on my provision selling to take care of myself and family because I don’t want to be a begger.
“Some people wanted to help me out to take care of me but those living around us discouraged my mother with the notion that, those people may not return me back to my parents. I discovered a place in my area where they organized lesson for children and I joined them. From there I started learning how to read and write in Yoruba language. I really want to go to school to further, because I like people speaking English, but I have no support,” she lamented.
Zainab said that, her business was going fine not until COVID-19 crippled Nigeria economy which led to her provision business being crippled as well.
“Thank God for Jibore Impeccable Foundation for their timely intervention because life had been hard since COVID-19 crippled down my business. Without them I might have turned to begging. I appreciate the effort made by the foundation to help me out.
“I used this opportunity to advise other people with disability to think of what they can do to better their lives instead of being a begger on the street.”
Speaking earlier, the founder of Jibore Impeccable Foundation, Mrs Bolarin John, who is also a disabled person said her NGO provide solution for people with disabilities.
Describing her foundation, Mrs John said that, “we are humanitarian organisation and committed to make life better for the people with disabilities.”
She said, she has started the program six years back with her personal income before registering four years ago.
Mrs John said that willingness to serve people is her motivation, adding that she love making people happy.
Speaking on how she met Mrs Zainab Ibrahim, “I have never been to Danialu Alapata before. It was on Monday when a member of our disability community who reside in that area informed us of her issue. We met with her and she explained how COVID-19 crippled her means of survival.
“We decided to empower her, with food stuff business. To resuscitate her business, for her to be able to stand on her own.”
She explained further that, “I started the program with personal income and the process, those individuals who see our laudable effort also support us with their donation.
“Over hundred people have benefited from the foundation. We have helped a lot of people, even outside Kwara, places like Zamfara, Oyo, Kogi and so many other places. During COVID-19 we fed a lot of people. We have a blind person we sponsor in school. We have so many things to do but limited by finance.”
The NGO boss said, she has never joined disability community before not until 2016.
“Kudos to my parents who gave the best education and opportunity with no discrimination. But I discovered so many disabled people don’t have opportunity like me, some are maltreated. So far I have mercy from God I decided to help others”