As soon as you set eyes on them, you cannot but be impressed by these two men. One of them has no hands, while the other has lost the use of his two legs. Yet, each day, they are always on top of the pedestrian bridge at Anthony Bus Stop in Lagos, keeping the flyover sparkling clean.
While numerous other physically-challenged men and women parade the highways and streets of Lagos, seeking alms from emotionally and psychologically-challenged residents, these two young men are busy doing community service which has now turned them into employees of Lagos State government. They are Kunle Adebisi and Samson Omosanya.
Kunle Adebisi has an interesting story to tell. He’s physically challenged, but he abhors begging. He was barely seven when his two hands were amputated. But even at that, you can hardly notice the slightest trace of agony or regret on his face. He always wears a smile, believing that in spite of his condition, there’s still hope for him in life. He’s not too lettered, but he believes he will return to school someday.
Born in 1984, the 29-year-old man is married and blessed with two kids. Every day, except on Sundays, you’ll always find Kunle at his duty post on top of the pedestrian bridge at Anthony Bus Stop, Ikorodu Road, Lagos. But unlike many of his peers, Kunle is not into begging on the flyover. His sole job is sweeping the bridge.
Anyone that uses the pedestrian bridge would easily notice the sheer industry of this physically-challenged young man. He has no hand, yet you’ll always find him with his broom, ensuring that the bridge is kept clean at all times.
Kunle Adebisi isn’t alone. Samson Omosanya is another physically-challenged man sweeping the bridge. The Ilesha, Osun State-born man is paralysed from the waist down. He has no functional legs. While Kunle sweeps the pedestrian bridge with what is left of both arms, Samson packs the dirt and throws it in the dust bin. Kunle Adebisi and Samson Omosanya have been together as friends for about a decade. They met at the same location in Anthony and started the community development work in 2003. Not long ago, the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) noticed their sense of duty and decided to employ them. Today, both Kunle and Samson are LAWMA employees.
“We are about 20 physically challenged people now working and cleaning up the pedestrian bridges in Lagos. We are paid monthly salaries by LAWMA,” Kunle told the reporter.
“They provided the opportunity for us to be earning some money to enable us cater for our families despite our condition. We are always grateful to the authorities of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA).”
For Kunle Adebisi, his condition wasn’t accidental; it was an act of gross wickedness. Adebisi has been in that condition since 1991, when he was just seven years old. And since then, the young man had accepted his fate in good faith.
He told the reporter: “I lost my two hands 22 years ago through child abuse. I was living with my uncle when, one day, I went out to play football. On that day, I got back home late, and my uncle ordered that I should not enter his house. So I roamed about for two days without going home. It was on the third day that I got home. My uncle was mad that I left home for three days. He was quite angry and got me locked up in a vacant room, with my hands tied to my back. I was left in the room for three days. It was on the fourth day that he untied me. By that time, my hands had gone lifeless. I was rushed to the hospital, but it was too late. That was how my hands were amputated. That was how I lost both hands to that wicked incident.”
Kunle said he, alongside his colleague, resume for the day’s work at 8am and close by 2pm. “Our job is to tidy up the pedestrian bridge daily, except on Sunday and we have been doing that and getting paid for it.”
He informed that he has a very understanding wife who takes good care of his two children. “I have to make sure I cater for my family with the salary I get from LAWMA. It has not been easy but I’m coping by the grace of God,” he said.
Kunle is gifted. The absence of his two hands has not hindered him from living his life, he said. With the stump, he eats, writes, and does other things. He also loves sports. He runs, plays table tennis and football. But he passionately desires to return to school. “I will definitely go back to school if I have the opportunity,” he said.
For Samson Omosanya, his is a tale of agony and uncertainty. He was born in 1987, but got paralysed from the waist down when he was 11 years old. Narrating his ordeal, the 26-year-old man said he lost his mother to this problem.
“I attended Ayeson Primary School in Ilesha, Osun State, but I couldn’t further my education due to my condition. I began my life and grew up normally until about 15 years ago when I eventually lost both legs. It was terrible because my parents really tried their best to get me back on my feet but I couldn’t stand on my feet. That was how I became paralysed till date,” he said.
Samson is also married and has two kids: a boy and a girl. He told the reporter that he hates begging for alms, insisting that he left his friends who brought him to Lagos in 2003 because they wanted him to be begging for alms.
“They brought me to Lagos from Ilesha, and their plan was for me to be begging on the streets of Lagos. So when I got wind of their plan, I left them and moved to Anthony where I started sweeping the pedestrian bridge. That was what I was doing until LAWMA employed us as members of their staff. I hate begging for alms and I wish I could be fortunate to get a helper who could assist me and set me up with a small business. I love buying and selling and I can do any business. I love electronic products,” he said.
Samson also expressed his gratitude to the LAWMA authorities for providing the chance for them to work and earn a living in spite of their condition. We are grateful to the Lagos State government for this opportunity,” they enthused.
But they are appealing to king-hearted Nigerians to come to their aid so that they would achieve their dreams as soon as possible.
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