Itse Markus Danladi is a person with physical disability, from Shere in Jos East local government of Plateau state. He is from a family of ten children, and the only one with any form of disability. He was not born with disability, he became a person with disability at the age of three years old.
In this interview conducted by Bulus Bala Izang and Joshua Yenle, he spoke about the challenges he is facing while working hard to be successful in shoe making.
TQM. Were you opportune to have formal education?
My parents were able to send me to school, l did my primary school at Shere Zakim primary school and later, attended United Faith Tabernacle College, Jarawan Kogi, in Jos East local government of Plateau state. I completed my secondary school in the year 2014, and since then , l could not continue with my education because of lack of finance.
TQM. What are your parents doing for a living?
Father is a retired civil servant, and my mother is into small farming.
TQM. What are you engaged in now since you could not continue with your education?
I have been making shoes in a small scale at home, after l learnt how to make shoes about two years age.
TQM. Why are you making the shoes in small scale?
My customers for now are small, and things are hard on people, particularly, here in the village, the economic situation is not favourable.
TQM. Apart from making shoes, are you into doing other things?
I am keeping local chickens. I once tried keeping goats, but, taking care of them during rainy seasons, with people’s farm all around, was difficult, so l don’t keep them any more.
TQM. You are a person with disability, what do you consider to be more challenging to you ?
TQM. You are a person with disability, what do you consider to be more challenging to you ?
What is more challenging to me is going to fetch water for daily use, where we get water is far from my home.
TQM. Don’t you have people that would help you to fetch water?
I do, but its equally hard on them, because of the distance, so l have to help with the fetching of water.
TQM. In what ways do help?
By carrying the water on my tricycle.
TQM. Have you experience discrimination because of your disability in your family or in your village?
I have not been discriminated against in my family, so also in my village, we are a small community and most of us are related.
TQM. What about when you were in school?
I was lucky to attend a school that have a long record of being friendly to people with disabilities. Any form of discrimination against people with disabilities is not acceptable in United Faith Tabernacle College Jarawan Kogi. I wish other schools and the world would be like this school, in terms of nondiscrimination against people with disabilities.
TQM. What would be your personal request to the government and the society?
I have the ability to make more shoes ,but l lack finance, If l can have financial assistance, l will do well in this business. I also want financial assistance so that I can go back to school. And,
With this disability rights laws in place, a lot of people and even some government establishments still lack awareness in this matter, l praying to the government and other groups, to help us in creating awareness to the generality of Nigerians, on how to relate with people with disabilities. Today l went to get my National Identity Card, the number of people there was just too much and there was no special consideration given to people with disabilities. After trying so hard, l have to come back home without getting what l went there to do.
With this disability rights laws in place, a lot of people and even some government establishments still lack awareness in this matter, l praying to the government and other groups, to help us in creating awareness to the generality of Nigerians, on how to relate with people with disabilities. Today l went to get my National Identity Card, the number of people there was just too much and there was no special consideration given to people with disabilities. After trying so hard, l have to come back home without getting what l went there to do.
TQM. Did you get the attention of the officials there?
The crowd was just too much for me to get the attention of the officials.
TQM. Thank you for giving us your time.
