Nasiru Abdullahi Baura’s is a clear case of deformity not being synonymous with disability. In spite of his deformity, he has ventured into terrains that are dreaded by able-bodied men, including the establishment of a bicycle manufacturing business, contesting election into the House of Assembly and even nursing the ambition to one day become the nation’s number one citizen! He spoke about his life and ambitions, in this encounter with SANI MUHAMMAD SANI
How would you introduce yourself?
My name is Nasiru Abdullahi Baura. I was born in Baura community in Talatar Mafara Local Government Area, Zamfara State. I did my primary school in Baura and my secondary school in Tsafe Local Government Area, Zamfara State. I proceeded to obtain my National Certificate of Education (NCE) at the Collegeof Education, Maru in Maru Local Government Area, where I read English and Economics. I have now applied, screened and gained admission for a degree programme at Al-Nahda International University, Niger Republic. They will soon open their branch here in Zamfara State. I am the sole owner of this crippled bicycle manufacturing workshop.
How were you able to save money to do all this?
It is here that I was able to save money to purchase expression of interest form from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and contested for a seat in the House of Assembly. I purchased the form with my own money at the cost of N450,000. The actual cost of the form was N800,000, but anyone with disability is privileged to have a discount. I did everything any other politician and contestant can do in terms of sponsoring myself with the money provided by my own sweat in that election.
You know, the APC here is factionalised. There is the governor’s faction and there is the other one called the G8. I am on the side of the G8. Why I am not with the government faction is because of the injustice I was exposed to right from my local government. They did not give me attention when they called for contestants before the election, so I decided to pledge allegiance to the Deputy Governor, Malam Wakkala, who is also not in the same faction with the governor. I pledged my support to him and they warmly welcomed me and accepted me into their fold.
What motivated you to contest the election?
I did not contest because I am desperate to be in the state House of Assembly; I contested out of the sheer need to contribute positively to the development of my community. I felt I am educationally enlightened. I have my industry here and there are so many things that the people of my community are lacking. For example, from Jangebe town to our community is just between five and eight kilometres, but I cannot not go there during the rainy season because there is a small river which we all have to cross. So, because of lack of such infrastructural development, I decided to contest for the state assembly to ensure that my people are provided with this basic development that can go a long way to alleviate their predicaments.
I always look at myself not as a cripple. I am not crippled as far I am concerned. That is the way I look at myself. I am full of health and energy. The only thing I cannot do is get up and walk. But I can challenge my spirit and my mind. May be if I am not crippled, I might not have achieved what I have achieved now; even if there are legs for sale now, I will not buy them because I don’t need them. It is possible that I am up and doing only because I am without functional limbs.
I am here under the sun working with my apprentices every day. I cannot beg. Why should I? There is no cogent reason why I should, because If I have a problem of N300,000, I can settle it without anybody knowing. I cannot beg anyone to do it for me. And there are people who want this industry to flourish. They buy the bicycles and donate them to crippled individuals. And there are governmental organisations that look down on us, who feel it is better they go to China or Kaduna and other parts of the world to purchase this type of bicycles. How can Nigeria progress with that kind of attitude?
If you look around Gusau, you cannot see any other tribe begging; it is only our people that beg. Is this how they want us to continue? Our leaders don’t want the progress of the downtrodden. They cannot stop the killings here and there. The number of disabled persons is always on the rise. There are people who become disabled from most of these attacks. If you are not killed, you might lose a limb.
If someone looks at me and feels that I am a laughing stock because I am always in the sun welding iron, I think I am the one to laugh at the person, because they are not self-reliant like me. Anyone who gives alms and wants me to collect it should keep it or give it to someone else. If anyone comes and is dashing out like N10,000 across the street, I will not go there.
What motivated you into this venture?
I believe our religion, Islam, did prescribe begging. So when I was in primary school, I envisaged myself begging and it gave me terror. I told myself that I would not beg. There is nothing worth doing in begging, even though I was following some beggars to places like Lagos after I completed special education school in Sokoto State. There were some crippled persons that I usually followed to Lagos. I went to those states and saw how people looked at beggars with distaste and animosity. So, I said this is not my kind of business. You cannot beg if you value self-respect. That was why I decided to invest in this project.
I know there are trying times when we spend one or two months without a single customer, but there are times when the business booms.
Aside from this business of manufacturing bicycles, I’m also into perfume and lace business. I sometimes go to Lagos to buy perfume, lace and other clothing materials. At times, I send someone to buy them for me. By this time last year, I had already purchased them and put them on my bicycle, going round the place to sell, especially when bicycle business is low. Some people who buy the materials on credit are still owing me, and even without payment, I am still progressing, determined to succeed; not to just lie down and wait for assistance. I will soon send someone to Lagos to buy the stock for me. I want a situation where I can give to others more than they are giving to cripples. These are the things that motivate and keep me going.
Who are your customers?
My biggest customer is Haruna Abdullahi, a DPR director. He is in charge of Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi states. He is a nice gentleman who usually buys between two and ten bicycles and gives them out to cripples like me, and he assists them to go to school. I am sure that if Haruna Abdullahi becomes a governor or president, he will surely help the disabled. When my wife was recently delivered of a baby, I did all that was necessary materially for the naming ceremony. What we want is for people to buy our product. I now have an order of 10 bicycles from the Community and Social Development Programme (CSDP).
That is what we want. Buy from us or do something that we will benefit from, like the Zakaat and endowment fund; they were the establishment that gave me the generator. It is the same Zakaat endowment fund that comes to me most of the time to purchase bicycles and give to some of the crippled ones that are attending schools, some of whom are in tertiary institutions. They have been doing that for the past 10 years. It is because of that, that I am able to take care of myself and not waiting for someone to take care of me.
Where did you learn to assemble the bicycles?
It is just curiosity, interest. No one taught me. When I was in secondary school, there was a woman who asked us for someone who would construct a bicycle for her, and we told her that we could. That was in Tsafe Local Government years back. So, my friend and I went and bought iron rods, met a welder and we constructed it. We would go and take a measurement of the part of the bicycle we wanted to produce and then we would come back and weld what we had measured. That was how we constructed the first bicycle.
That was how I started. Afterwards, I started buying the iron rods and would call a welder to my workshop with his equipment, instruct him on what to do and pay him. Sometimes I would collect the welding machine and do some parts of it. Later, I started doing it myself when the welders started disappointing me. That was how I progressed.
What is your ambition in this business?
I have a very big ambition. If I am alive, it is with this business that I want to assist my community. I have started doing that. From time to time, I ensure that I make provision to donate a bicycle to a crippled person. Sometimes I buy them books. At other times, I give them transportation money or any other thing I can afford. It is from this business that I want to contest any election. I will contest the presidency if I am alive, getting the money to sponsor myself from this business. It is God that gives power to whom He wants at the time He wants.
There was a time during a political function at City King where our political party wanted to have a consensus candidate. When all the contestants were called to come forward, as I was moving, I overheard some of the security personnel that attended the function saying in English: “How is it that there is a crippled person among the contestants?” I turned around and challenged them in English. I said, ‘Look at me, I am a physically-challenged person with disability, crawling on my four limbs. I have a zeal not only to become self-reliant but to also play the role of a defender of the less-privileged in the society. Don’t think that we cannot contribute anything to the society.’
When she heard and knew that I could speak English, she started saying, ‘I swear, I didn’t say that.’ I said no, don’t be surprised if you find yourself in this condition. They were ashamed.
We face a lot of challenges. Sometimes I overhear people saying that the world has come to an end, look at a cripple man contesting an election. What they forgot is, there are some former Nigerian presidents who cannot walk. Some of them lost their sights before they died. Now, if you think it is only a privileged person that can contest an election, what do you think of these people as an example? If money can buy them legs or eyesight, they have all the money to buy. Why should we cripples always wait in political functions or government functions until we are given alms?
Have you trained other people in this business or you have plan to do so in the near future?
I have trained a lot of people. These bicycles we are manufacturing are painted by cripples who I call when the bicycles are ready, and I pay them when they finish. There are other cripples who can do one thing or the other in the area of repairs. So, if someone’s bicycle needs repairs, I usually send him to one of them here in Gusau. Some of them are at Kantin Daji; they come here to assemble one or two things. It is difficult to tell disabled persons to come and learn a trade; they prefer awuf, because if you can use N1,000 in a day, it won’t be enough for a beggar, because it is easy money that they want, which they can spend within minutes and move to another place to get more. But if it is their sweat, they know they cannot do that; it is a must that they have to spend N400 and save some of the rest or reinvest it.
What appeal do you have for industrialists and government to assist in this effort?
Calling on government to do anything is very difficult, because if we urge the government to do something, it will not. No one can do anything for you except God. If you are crippled and you are waiting for government to do something for you, then you are wasting your time. They don’t even see you, talk less of doing something for you. Just get up and get a profession. Why should anyone wait for government rather wait for a customer who will come and buy from you? I cannot cross that road to collect N10,000 if someone is sharing it. The money you get from your sweat has much more value than the money someone gave you for nothing sake.
This is my workshop. I am not paying the owner a kobo, and I know he’ll only need it when he intends to develop it, and I have plan to buy a place where that will replace this and I can call my own. We pray that the government would look into our plight, but I am not going to make any request from the government, especially our kind of government in Zamfara State.
Were you born without limbs or you lost them in the journey of life?
I lost my limbs when I was between nine and ten years old. There was a tree that fell down in front of our house, and we were playing on it, climbing and jumping down from it. Then I fell down, and by the time I woke up, I lost all my memories. I couldn’t even remember that I was playing on that tree or remember anything before then. That was it.
What advice do you have for youths that are not crippled but refuse to learn a vocation?
I want them to know that they should have the fear of God and redress. It is a must by the teachings of our religions that one must seek knowledge. They should go and do so. Have a profession no matter how small it is. It is important. Most of the killings in our society today occur because of lack of profession. Look at government retirees, they spent over 30 years serving the government and the government is not assisting them with the basic needs of their lives. If you are a security man, you know how to fire a gun. Now you don’t have a job, how can people be at peace?
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If you are a youth and you see a car which attracts you or see a lady that attracts you, how can you marry her? How can you buy the car when you don’t have anything doing for a living?
How many wives and children do you have?
I had a wife and six children, but their mother has died.