Support us with housing and our children education, a widow with disability appeals to government

Rahila Ishaya Tokkit is a woman with disability from Pankshin local government of Plateau State. She had Polio at age of seven, I now walk with the aid of two walking sticks.   

This widow and a mother of two children had the privilege to go to school and today, she has NCE and she is working with Primary Education Board as a Teacher here in Pankshin local government of Plateau State.

In a chat with Bulus Baba Izang our Jos correspondent, she spoke about her work and her life as a widow with two children.

TQM: Do you have challenges performing your work as a teacher with disability?

No, I perform my work as a teacher well despite my disability.  However, I do have difficulty of getting to my place work and going back home daily, I have to engage the services of a commercial motorcycle rider and the fare is high and by the end of the month, a good amount of my salary is spent on transportation and little would be left for feeding and other needs.

TQM: How is life like for you as a mother, a widow and a person with disability?

Life have not been easy, providing for myself and the children, especially when it comes to the payment of their school fees and the payment of house rent, add that to other daily needs like feeding and other bills, you will find out that the salary is just not enough.

TQM: Since you said, the salary is not enough to settle your bills. How do you make up?

After School hours, I have a table by the roadside that I use to sell soup condiments like seasonings, kukka, karkashi, and food items like rice and beans in little quantity. I also do some knitting of babies clothes which I sell for additional income.

TQM: Being a person with disability, how do you cope with moving around to get these items and sell them?

I have some children that use to help me in carrying these items to and fro to my table stand. And if I go to market to buy these things, I usually engaged the services of commercial wheelbarrow pushers and commercial motorcycle riders to carry the Items for me.

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TQM: How does the engagement of these extra hands affects you?

It really affecting me, sometimes I experience delays, because at times they may not be close by so, I wouldn’t have any other option than to wait for them or look for them, and again, the cost of paying them reduces my profit. But these are necessary cost I have to bear.

TQM: You earlier mentioned the payment of house rent, are you not staying in your late husband’s family house?

No, I am staying in rented apartment here in Pankshin town with my two children.

TQM: If you will have a chance to appeal for assistance, what would you appeal for?

I would like to have the house of my own no matter how small it may be and I would need assistance in the payment of my children’s School fees. Government should come to rescue on these areas, we are going a lot payment house rent and our children’s school even the high cost of living that disability is bringing.

TQM: Thank you for your time.

You are welcome and God bless you