Rev. Victor Ezekiel (Rtd) is a person born with physical disability from Bassa local government of Plateau state. He is from a family of ten children. His father was a soldier, he left home for Biafra war when Victor and his twin sister were three months old and he never came back. His twin sister is a person without disability.
Victor is already married with four children.
In this interview with our correspondents Bulus Bala Izang and Joshua Yenle, he talked about his family, education, challenges as a clergy with Disability.
TQM. Is your wife a person with disability?
She is not a person with disability
TQM. Sir, can you tell us about Your education?
I started my education with Ecwa primary school Zagon, in Bassa local government of Plateau state, after my primary school, l went to Relevant Technology in Jos North, a Vocational Training School. From there l went to Ecwa Bible College kagoro, now a seminary, in kaduna state, from there to Jos Ecwa Theological Seminary, where l did my BA, and other several courses.
TQM. As a person with disability, what are your challenges like in school?
There are many challenges, the one that readily come to mind is the challenge of accessibility into and out of my class room in primary school. There was some numbers of staircases, which l could not climb up to enter my class or climb down out of the class. Each time, l am at the entrance of my class, l have to wait for someone to carry me up into the class or to carry me out of the class. That was how it was.
TQM. Who paid for your education?
My mother paid for my primary and Secondary education, not only me, but that of my other siblings as well. She was a tailor and from the proceeds, she educated us.
After that, while l was at the Bible college kagoro, now a seminary, in the first year, one of my lecturer, who is a white man paid for my first year, and the remaining years was paid for by a man that, l don’t know who he is in person. I don’t even know his name, l only know that he is a Muslim.
TQM. A Muslim paid for your Christian Theological Training?
Yes, the little l learned about him is, he was passing through Kagoro, and he saw me on crutches in the college, he stopped and asked question about me and when he was told, that l am a student in the college. He later went to the Administrative office. And the end result, he paid for my education in kagoro with the exception of the first year.
One of the reasons, He gave was that, he have a son who is also a physically disable person, walking with the aid of crutches, he try to send the son to school but the son refused.
TQM. Are you accepted and accommodated in your family and the society?
Coming from a christian family, the Christianity take away any form of discrimination, so l suffered no discrimination.
Also l cannot of any discrimination, To me what children do to people with disabilities, cannot be called discrimination, its sometimes lack of knowledge.
TQM. What was your work life like, as a clergy with disability?
After my education, l started working as a teacher in Bible school zabolo, now a Theological school, l was later transfered to Ecwa church Jabbu Bassa and Mi’ango, from there a white missionary requested that l work with him in the field, which lead us to worked in Niger Republic, Ghana, Benin Republic, Ivory coast and Togo. From there, l came back home worked at Ecwa church Laranto, where l retired.
In all my worked life as a clergy, l have not experience any discrimination or rejection, rather people accepted and supported me in various ways. I really thank God and people for that.
TQM. Apart from being a clergy, are you engaged in any other activity?
Even as a minister, l have learned a lot of skills, which l applied in the field. In the field we meet different kinds of people who are in need, putting these skills into practice, have really helped to solved some of these needs.
Sometimes, we even go to people to train them in one form of skill or the other and during or after such training, we get to win some of them to Christ.
I have more than eighty skills and l am still training people even in my retirement. In fact, l now have an NGO with the VIVIC Creative Foundation.
This year 2021. We are planning to train 150 people, 50 each from the three chiefdoms we have in Bassa local government, before going to other parts of Plateau state.
We would be doing skills acquisition in Bakery; Bread, cake, and other flour products, soap, detergents, shampoo, Vaseline, Bournvita, maggi, Dettol, etc.
By Gods grace, people would be trained in the skills of making these products.
TQM. In doing all these, have you enjoyed any support from the government?
No, we are yet to do that.
TQM. Lastly sir, what would be your appeal to the government and other members of the society?
My appeal to the government and individuals, they should come to our aid or partnering with us, so that we can train these people in skill acquisition and after the training, we should be able to give them start up packs, that is our wish.
These will go along way in reducing poverty in our community.
TQM. Thank you sir, we in TQM, wish you all the best.
Thank you.
