As Nigerians count days to the dawn of another new year, Mrs Memunat Abdul, it obviously seems, may not be among the happy celebrants. Reason: A disease – elephantiasis – has reduced one of her legs to a mere stump, leaving her to daily writhe in pains without end.
She had lived in Kano with her husband and four kids until they had to flee when the dreaded sect, Boko Haram struck, killing and maiming without let. “I was one of the victims of their (Boko Haram’s) first wave of attacks; I lost my husband and two of my children in the attacks,” she said.
Arriving Lagos with her two surviving kids, she had no alternative than to take to the streets begging for alms as there was nobody to accommodate her and her kids with such an ailment.
“When we got to Lagos,” she recalled, “we searched for some people I used to know in the past, but surprisingly, I found none; so, I hit the streets with my children because we had nowhere to go and nothing to eat”
Passersby often had to hold their hearts in both hands to walk past her as she trudged along the various streets in the metropolis in pity. Amid tears, people often had recriminations for a system that abandons her likes to their fate.
Over four years ago, when her story first broke, she, like most indigent Nigerians, was optimistic that succour would soon come her way as many good-natured Nigerians showed interest in her plight. Sadly, however, she has since remained on the streets begging for survival.
Mrs. Abdul, according to her, used to be happily married, but her joy went sour when her right leg got swollen. Then, her seemingly unending search for reprieve began.
Fighting tears at 12, Mobolaji Street, Ifo, Ogun State, where she squats, she recalled: “It was a bright morning some years ago that I first noticed this itchy swelling and as a carefree person, I thought it was a mere infection that would soon go after applying some ointments. I also used local herbs and the itch abated temporarily only to return stronger and deadlier.”
Now, as the infection festers, she has a bigger burden to carry. “I can’t get enough to meet my daily needs as most people avoid looking at me twice because of the leg, but I must commend Lagosians for their magnanimity. They try to help, but honestly, I don’t want to be a beggar and I hope I won’t die like this,” she said.
Her children are also sharing in the pains as they are with her in the alms-begging business. Abdul, one of them, told The Nation: “I don’t like the life we live. I wish I could be in school like my mates. I sometimes wish I had a house over my head, especially I wish my mother wasn’t sick, maybe life would have been better for us.”
According to Mr Olawumi Ajao, a medical doctor, Mrs Abdul suffers from a tropical disease commonly known as Elephantiasis, a disease of the lymphatic system, characterized by an enormous enlargement of the infected area. The hardened skin of the affected area, he said, resembles the hide of an elephant and that is why it goes by that name.
“The disease is usually the result of blockage of the lymphatic system by threadlike filarial worms, usually Wuchereria bancrofti. The parts of the body most frequently affected are the limbs and the genitals. The disease is treated with an anti-filarial drug known as diethylcarbamazine (Hetrazan) and surgery,” Ajao explained.
Now, according to her, she needs about N2 million for a corrective surgery on the decaying leg. Thus, she wants public-spirited Nigerians to come to her aid. “I have been running from pillar to post for the money, but it has been difficult because I don’t have people that can assist me to safe my life.”
With the help of a Good Samaritan, she opened an account with First Bank Plc under the name: Abdul Memunat, with number 3078028123 for the attention of her prospective helpers.
