I hawk yams to protect my dignity – physically-challenged father says
A physically-challenged Malam Abdullahi Abubakar, says he hawks yams in wheelbarrow in Gombe to protect his dignity as a father in his household.
Abubakar told the Newsmen in Gombe on Friday that physical disability should not be taken as an excuse to beg for alms.
According to him, begging or depending on stipends from people is not good for his reputation as a father and husband; therefore, he took to hawking yams to make his own money.
“Every day I get motivated to work because of my child and the need to take good care of my family, though I sometimes get fatigued from the previous day’s outing.
“I hop from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and I go as long as where I can because I hate to be lazy or beg. I don’t look down on myself because this is my occupation.
“It is good to fend for yourself to maintain your pride and dignity; when you go begging people will look down on you,’’ he said.
Abubakar who had been hawking yams for the past two years said: “I make an average of N3, 000 per day and I use the money to care for my family as the head of the home.’’
On his advice to youths who prefer to beg, he said many youths lacked patience to do his kind of job to get little money as “they always want to `arrive quickly’ and make it big time.
“If you earn little and maintain your pride and dignity with the help of Allah, you will get to your destination of comfort with time and feeding yourself and family will be certain,’’ he stressed.
Abubakar who has one child plans to have three more children all of whom he said must go to university.
He appealed to Gombe State government and well-meaning Nigerians to assist him to get a shop so as to expand his business.
“Hopping through several communities and streets from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. is not easy, but I just have to do it for my family. I am thinking of the future.
“If I can get a shop and expand my business, I will have time to rest and save more money to achieve my dream for all my children to go to school,’’ he said.
