Nigeria: Making Orphans Potential Superstars
20 May 2009
Lagos — Nobody knew that the eight-year old primary school pupil from Kaduna State, Abdullahi Bello, an orphan who finished 88 ahead of 8000 other runners at the just concluded Glo People Police Marathon slept at the old parade ground for four days just because he and his coach, a road side carpenter could not afford the luxury of hotel accomodation unlike other participants. Reuben Buhari writes
The story of Abdullahi Bello, the eight year-old orphan who became the centre of attraction at the recent Glo People/Police Marathon held in Abuja, and his 33 year-old coach who is a roadside carpenter is the kind of story that film makers loves to handle. Bello's story and that of his coach, Mohammed Abdurahman is a study in determination in the face of overwhelming obstacle, a clear proof that where there is will, success becomes just a matter of time.
Nobody knew that when Bello and his coach, Abdurahman came to Abuja for the police marathon, both slept for two days at the old parade ground, venue of the marathon, before the competition and another two days after, on the hard ground covered by some few blankets they came with from Kaduna, just because they didn't have money for hotel. They bought food from the Police Barrack close to the parade ground due to it cheapness and also took their bath from any available source there.
However, despite these entire obstacles, Bello finished the race in the 88th position ahead of 8000 other runners, despite his age, discomfort and poor diet. Abdullahi and his coach went to the venue two days earlier and slept at the open till the even lasted. After the competition, the excited Globacom officials gave him N250, 000. The Inspector General of Police instantly gave him scholarship up to the police academy if he decides to join the force or the university if he chose not to. Different dignitaries at the occasion also showered praises on the young boy.
Dr. Patrick Ekeji, director-general, National Sports Commission asked them where they were staying and when told that it was at the old parade ground, shook his head and quickly booked a hotel for them before the returned to Kaduna.
Bello is not the only child under the tutelage of Abdurahman. Another teenager who has shown sign of possessing the potential of becoming an athlete is Hauwa Jibo, a seven year old girl that won an award during the LG marathon competition in Kaduna early this year. He also has a child called Oyemma, an orphan who is also showing sign of being a potential marathon runner. He has two children that he is trying to train on weightlifting. One is nine years, while the other is 13, in addition to two physically challenged children with him at the railway quarters in Chikun Local Government.
Railway down Quarters, close to the Kaduna main railway station, the area where Bello, his coach and all the other children stays is also of interest because it is the definite epitome of what a slum. It was build around the living quarters of railway staff when trains were running properly. From there other poor individuals haphazardly started erecting mud structures around it. Textiles workers too, when the ones in the state were functioning, also flooded the area due to its proximity to the textiles.
Presently the whole area doesn't have pipe born water. Kaduna State government which has not shown any serious interest in the area recently constructed about six boreholes for them but which quickly stopped working within days due to the faulty way it was constructed by the contractor. Light only comes to the area from a single transformer which is over loaded, faulty and hardly works. The things the area has in excess are crime, unemployment and drinking bars.
Bello's house and his coach are situated at the middle of stinking open drainages that run round the house. When it rains all the debris in the gutter are dump in and around his house. Accessing the house is by a narrow footpath that is always wet with all types of liquid that other neighbouring houses deem fit to dump on it. His coach's house is also not better. A one-room structure, just big enough to take his mattress which is on the floor, but without chairs and electronics.
Surprisingly, from all these obstacles and discouragement, Abdullahi has continued to progress in competitions. In fact, immediately after the KADA National Sport Festival, Abdullahi was noticed by the Kaduna State Government when he competed in the Kaduna marathon organised by the state. The Commissioner for Sports, Alhaji Shehu Adamu, bought sports shoes for the young boy when he completed the marathon wearing some footwear different from what running shoes should be. This is because what any of the children wears as sporting kits solely comes from the pocket of the coach. And when he fails to get money for such kits, he buys the materials and sews it.
The head teacher of the Railway Primary School, Mr. Francis Thomas also corroborated the potentials of Bello. When THISDAY visited the primary school at Down Quarters, he said Bello had excelled in previous competitions with the latest being an inter-primary school athletic competition held at LEA Ungwan Maichibi primary school where he came first in the 100m.
Instructively, the school doesn't have any ground or facility for any form of sports, apart from the enclosure within the school which some of the children sometimes use for playing football. However, the achievement of Bello has become the yardstick that the headmaster of the school has been using to encourage the over 903 pupils of the primary school, daily crammed into some Explaining how it all started, the coach told THISDAY that "it started after the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 when I saw the little white children that featured at the Olympic. I decided to train teenagers. I started with Hauwa Jibo. When she was five years old I took her for a marathon competition organised by LG electronics in Kaduna so that she can get use to marathon competition. At that particular competition, which includes athletes aged between 20 to about 40 years, I asked her to just run for one kilometer and then pull out of the race. But when she started the race she refused to pull out after one kilometer, and that was how she ran the full 10 kilometers. LG officials were impressed and gave her some electronics and N12000.
"When she came back from that race I decided to go for more orphans since I don't have the money to give them. I just felt that by giving them hope they can become useful, they will see the need to go extra mile just to break away from their perceived bondage. By developing them to become useful the Nigerian government will also see the need to assist them as it has happened in the life of Bello who has now been given a full scholarship up to university level. This is assistance to the family and I am happy that I was instrumental in changing his life. The Nigeria Civil Defence has even promised to sponsor him to England for the forthcoming Olympics. Nigeria would reap from these children in years to come.
"I am a carpenter and whenever I get any small job I buy some training kits for them. Sometimes I buy the materials and sew them myself. This is because the children don't have anything, same with their parents. Sometimes when we have garri we soak it. When I have money I buy bread and sachet of milk for them and they are happy with me," he said pointing to all the children that include a three-year old girl that have all gathered at his door eavesdropping on the interview with THISDAY.
On how he goes about getting the orphan, he cited an example of a boy, Abubakar who lost his father in an accident. He added that he picked the boy and his sister Mary from the mother and has been training them since. It was the same thing with Abdullahi Bello who lost his father four years ago, he was picked by Abdurahman.
He also explained that when he makes money he takes them on training tour, sometimes to a village in Zaria where they all stay for about three days and concentrate on their training without any disturbance from people. Even on the issue of academics, he told THISDAY that despite the fact that he didn't go beyond primary school, he organises extra lessons for the kids.
Parents of the children equally seem to be happy to leave their children with him. Abdullah's mother, Rukaiya refused to speak to THISDAY, but quickly sent for the coach who was not around at that time.
Presently, the coach is planning to take Abdullahi, Oyemma and Hauwa to the Obudu mountain marathon in Cross River. Last year he took Abdullahi there, but the officials refused to allow them in based on the explanation that the boy is too young to participate with the other mature runners. At the same time, they slept at the Calabar Stadium since they didn't have money for hotel.
Abdullahi, his coach and all the children have sent a good message to all Nigerians that with the limited resources at their disposal and the entire obstacle on their path, good things can still come out of Nigerians when the determination is there. With a little help from the society, people like Abdullahi and Hauwa can do the country proud in some few years to come.
Meanwhile, they are now concentrating on how to train, sleep in the open and prove to all Nigerians that 'yes, we can do it' at the next Obudu mountain.