Ogu Chukwuebuka Kizito, 7/8/2019

Current Occupation: Digital marketer
Former Occupation: Digital marketer
Contact Information: Few words depicts me, more action defines me. The past made me, the
future is what I make myself.

 

#

The thought him to be deformed.

A one year compulsory service called National youth service corp (NYSC) is very important in every graduate in Nigeria. It is a time where you go serve your fatherland. During my one year compulsory service at sagamu, Ogun state camp. I remember vividly, his name was Emmanuel from Kaduna state. With legs deformed he still refused to go home after begging and placations by the NYSC Officials. The easiest thing for him to have done was just to make a sign of home or something and he would be redeployed back to his place. As a result of his zeal to serve the fatherland, the officials gave him their quarters to stay separate from us. As we did our compulsory morning parade, he sat on his sit and stared at us. You could see the passion in his eyes, the dreams and thoughts flying in his mind. One would have been, if only I had legs like this people, if only I could just match like them. The gaze on his face was blazing, the smile was heart touching, his body chemistry said it all. I wish I could just be like them and walk. It was all glaring from his countenance as he watched the crowd of corp member’s parade, with him sitting on his wheelchair.

 

More so, I quickly made him my friend when I noticed that no one wanted to be friends with him. His ideas so full of life. We had a unique handshake which we did in the presence of a multitude of fellow corp members. He loved reading more than anything, he was more intelligent than those people who claimed to be complete and not deformed. I learnt a lesson more learning than a professor would have thought me. He was always sitting at the base of the stadium backing the crowd, and he was always all smiles whenever he saw me, because I was coming for my handshake first and a discussion continues.

 

Even at that those who had complete legs complained about everything, about the food, about the house, even about the air. They complained that they were tired of everything. They were tired of matching, a million things to complain about. They failed to see what they had. Do you see what you have?

 

However, it hurt me that I lost your contact and picture of memories we shared together. My friend from a distance, you have got an extra to the ordinary man. Let no man hold you back from the dreams of your life. 

 

Do not be the man who have eyes but yet cannot see, the one who has everything but will spend his life chasing trifles. That which you seek is but in front of you, only if you decide to See more and look less. Even in the midst of nothing there is something you have that is someone’s dreams and prayer point, someone's dreams is that thing you do not value. 

 

The question is: Who was really deformed, Him or those who thought him to be?

 

Emmauel thank you for this life lesson.