There are few people, who would pass through the path Daniel
Onwe had traversed in life and not crumble. Apart from growing up
the very hard way, finding his balance at various stages of his
journey has been quite tortuous. Born into a polygamous home and to
a father, who could barely provide decent meals for the family from
the little he earned as a soldier in the Nigerian Army, the
44-year-old knew the true meaning of deprivation from a very early
age. Unlike most kids, who enjoyed their formative years relatively
in good health and peace of mind, Onwe’s childhood was stolen away
from him by polio. The sickness took away his legs even before he
started walking. There was little or no chance for him to make it
in life at that point. A bleak future was what awaited him.
“Immediately I was affected by polio, almost everyone wrote me
off,” the Enugu State native told our correspondent during a chat
earlier in the week. “For most people, the sickness meant the end
of whatever dreams I could have had in life. Even though I was
about two years old at the time, the chances of becoming anything
in life were already under strong doubt especially considering the
type of poor background I came from. I stood no chance as far as
many people were concerned,” he said.
Born and raised in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Onwe woke up one
morning suddenly realising he could no longer move all four limbs.
With no prior signs of sickness, the situation baffled his parents
and other family members. Their fears grew. But after weeks and
months of searching for a solution, he was finally taken to a
health facility around Oji River in Enugu where a surgery was
performed on him. Even though there was a slight improvement and he
could thereafter move his hands, the sickness held on firmly to his
legs, launching him into a world where every bend was filled with
thorns.
Being the son of a military personnel, he understood quite early
what relocating from one part of the country to another meant. By
the time he was six – the age many of his peers started primary
education, his father was posted to Benin, Edo State, after
initially being transferred to Jos in Plateau State. Weeks after
arriving the ancient city, Onwe could still not attend primary
school even though there were so many around. His desire to get his
life back on track was dealt another terrible blow.
“When we arrived the barracks my father was posted to in Benin,
I had hoped that I would immediately begin primary education there
but that was not the case. The school that children living in the
barracks attended was inside the town, quite far from us, and
because I couldn’t climb into the military truck that conveyed them
to and from school as a result of my condition, I had to stay back
at home and wait until a primary school was built in the barracks
before I could begin my education. I was a little over seven at the
time.
“Sadly, the month I finished primary school coincided with the
period my father retired from the army; so automatically we had to
relocate to our village in Enugu. That changed all the plans I had
for my secondary education,” he revealed.
In Enugu, life took a completely different turn for Onwe. His
thoughts of consolidating on his primary education to carve a
promising path for himself despite all the odds against him as a
result of his physical state met a brick wall. The more he pushed,
the more often he realised he was helpless. Perhaps the
long-predicted end had come, he reckoned.
“As much as I had desired to attend secondary school when we
moved to Enugu, circumstances made that dream to remain out of
reach all the time.
“The closest secondary school to our village then would require
me using a taxi to go there and return home. If I were to go by
commercial bus, I would have to board a vehicle two to three times
which would be very stressful for me considering my condition. My
parents didn’t have that type of money to support such, so that
marked the end of my secondary school dream.
“After giving up on secondary education, I decided to learn a
trade, at least to keep myself busy and make meaning out of my
life. But due to my disability, I couldn’t find a place to learn
anything. Nobody wanted to take me because of my condition. I was
really interested in learning radio and television repairs and
approached a lot of people but I was rejected at every point. A lot
of people would prefer an apprentice that could run errands for
them and not one they, in fact, had to dedicate special attention
to.
“After then, I went into some petty trading. After reading a
book titled ‘Where there was no doctor’, I started selling some
analgesic but thank God, I didn’t run into any sort of trouble. I
was around 13 at the time and people would come to me for all sorts
of drugs. Some were even calling me ‘doctor.’ It was the knowledge
I got from the book that I used to prescribe drugs to people for
various sicknesses. My father was the one helping me purchase the
drugs from the nearest town to ours. I did that for about five
years,” he said.
Believing that he had finally found a worthy path for himself in
life, the young lad put the setback he had suffered in the past and
prepared for a future as a ‘village doctor’. It was his only viable
option at that point since education was no longer forthcoming. You
cannot blame him. He had confronted obstacles all his life.
“While I was prescribing and selling drugs to the villagers, I
completely forgot about education, believing that it was not for
me. But one day, a different thought came to my mind and that
launched me towards commencing studies.
“I gathered the textbooks of my elder siblings that had finished
secondary school and started reading. I read various subjects and
was able to understand them. Subsequently, I began to acquire some
books on my own. At that point, I started nursing the idea of
sitting for General Certificate Examination but some people felt I
was becoming too ambitious. They felt that even people who went
through secondary school had not passed GCE; I was aiming to do
so.
“However, my sister assisted me with the fund to register. My
father, in fact, tried to discourage me in a subtle manner. He
asked me several times if I was sure I was not going to be wasting
that money used to buy the examination form. I studied on my own in
the house but few weeks to the exam, I enrolled at a tutorial
centre just to see if all I had been reading was correct or not. I
saw that I knew all that they were teaching there and in fact,
others came to me for more explanation. I was very happy.
“By the time the result was released, I passed six papers. I got
four ‘As’ and two ‘Bs’. That was in 1992. At that point, I just
wanted education even though I didn’t have a particular course in
mind that I wanted to study at the university.
“But after coming in contact with a family when I was taken to a
vocational training centre, my idea changed. I made up my mind to
study law. I did the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination not
too long after that period and passed. I got admitted into the
University of Uyo in 1995/1996 session,” he said.
Onwe’s feat at the GCE and UTME despite not attending secondary
school for a day marked the beginning of a new and interesting
chapter in his life. His resolve to succeed in spite of his
disability became stronger. The thought of leaving Enugu for Akwa
Ibom, a completely new environment, to study, and his family’s poor
financial standing did nothing to discourage him. He was prepared
to endure the pain to enjoy the gains later in life.
“Leaving Enugu for Uyo under my condition called for some
serious considerations but because I had got used to difficult
situations, it didn’t really bother me. Going by the way my parents
brought me up, I could do a lot of things for myself without
relying on anyone. I went to Uyo by myself to do all the necessary
registration and purchase items that I needed as a fresh
undergraduate.
“However, arriving on campus, I realised that it was a
completely new world. Moving from one lecture hall to another from
my hostel was very difficult but I had to adapt fast. Finding
myself studying law at the university was an excitement too big for
me that I completely forgot about the discomfort I faced on a daily
basis.
“Over time, the finances of my family improved. Also, after
passing GCE, I was able to get a small job with it at the local
government office as a Welfare Officer. So, by the time I got
admission into the university, I was granted study leave with pay.
That helped in supporting my education.
“While on campus, I conducted tutorial classes and I was quite
in hot demand. A lot of people knew and always came to me for
further explanations on certain subjects and topics.
“After finishing from the university, I was admitted to the
Enugu campus of the Nigerian Law School in 2002. There also, I
faced a lot of challenges especially moving from one lecture room
to another from my hostel which was about 20 minutes’ walk but at
the end, I triumphed.
“My parents were very happy and proud on the day I finished from
law school. It came as a surprise to many people in my community
because they could not understand how somebody who did not attend
secondary school could go on to become a lawyer,” he narrated
excitedly.
Upon graduation from the law school, Onwe returned to Enugu
where the authorities of Nkanu West Local Government Area
immediately upgraded him to a full-fledged Social Welfare Officer
following his remarkable academic feat despite his physical
disability. But after working there for a while, he relocated to
Lagos to begin a new life and hone his skills as a budding lawyer.
Learning the rudiments of the profession working across different
law firms, the 44-year-old after a few years branched into private
practice. Today, apart from being the Lead Partner at Daniel &
Sophina, a law firm he co-founded, he had employed and mentored
several lawyers over the years, who had gone on to do well for
themselves. In addition, he is now a prominent speaker at many
public events across Nigeria and beyond, noted and celebrated for
his advocacy in favour of special people in the country. Success
follows him everywhere these days.
“Even though polio stole my childhood, I was determined not to
allow it kill my joy and happiness as an individual,” Onwe pointed
out, a bright smile lighting up his face. “A lot of people wrote me
off as a result of my disability but I was determined to let them
know that even from a barren land, the finest fruit could spring
forth. I felt the best way I could silence doubters was to break
barriers despite the hurdles life had placed in my path. Disability
is by no means a limitation. As far as I am concerned, it is an
avenue to show people how great God is. And for me, God’s greatness
has been immense in my life,” he added.
There are few people, who would pass through the path Daniel
Onwe had traversed in life and not crumble. Apart from growing up
the very hard way, finding his balance at various stages of his
journey has been quite tortuous. Born into a polygamous home and to
a father, who could barely provide decent meals for the family from
the little he earned as a soldier in the Nigerian Army, the
44-year-old knew the true meaning of deprivation from a very early
age. Unlike most kids, who enjoyed their formative years relatively
in good health and peace of mind, Onwe’s childhood was stolen away
from him by polio. The sickness took away his legs even before he
started walking. There was little or no chance for him to make it
in life at that point. A bleak future was what awaited
him.
“Immediately I was affected by polio, almost everyone wrote me
off,” the Enugu State native told our correspondent during a chat
earlier in the week. “For most people, the sickness meant the end
of whatever dreams I could have had in life. Even though I was
about two years old at the time, the chances of becoming anything
in life were already under strong doubt especially considering the
type of poor background I came from. I stood no chance as far as
many people were concerned,” he said.
Born and raised in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Onwe woke up one
morning suddenly realising he could no longer move all four limbs.
With no prior signs of sickness, the situation baffled his parents
and other family members. Their fears grew. But after weeks and
months of searching for a solution, he was finally taken to a
health facility around Oji River in Enugu where a surgery was
performed on him. Even though there was a slight improvement and he
could thereafter move his hands, the sickness held on firmly to his
legs, launching him into a world where every bend was filled with
thorns.
Being the son of a military personnel, he understood quite early
what relocating from one part of the country to another meant. By
the time he was six – the age many of his peers started primary
education, his father was posted to Benin, Edo State, after
initially being transferred to Jos in Plateau State. Weeks after
arriving the ancient city, Onwe could still not attend primary
school even though there were so many around. His desire to get his
life back on track was dealt another terrible blow.
“When we arrived the barracks my father was posted to in Benin,
I had hoped that I would immediately begin primary education there
but that was not the case. The school that children living in the
barracks attended was inside the town, quite far from us, and
because I couldn’t climb into the military truck that conveyed them
to and from school as a result of my condition, I had to stay back
at home and wait until a primary school was built in the barracks
before I could begin my education. I was a little over seven at the
time.
“Sadly, the month I finished primary school coincided with the
period my father retired from the army; so automatically we had to
relocate to our village in Enugu. That changed all the plans I had
for my secondary education,” he revealed.
In Enugu, life took a completely different turn for Onwe. His
thoughts of consolidating on his primary education to carve a
promising path for himself despite all the odds against him as a
result of his physical state met a brick wall. The more he pushed,
the more often he realised he was helpless. Perhaps the
long-predicted end had come, he reckoned.
“As much as I had desired to attend secondary school when we
moved to Enugu, circumstances made that dream to remain out of
reach all the time.
“The closest secondary school to our village then would require
me using a taxi to go there and return home. If I were to go by
commercial bus, I would have to board a vehicle two to three times
which would be very stressful for me considering my condition. My
parents didn’t have that type of money to support such, so that
marked the end of my secondary school dream.
“After giving up on secondary education, I decided to learn a
trade, at least to keep myself busy and make meaning out of my
life. But due to my disability, I couldn’t find a place to learn
anything. Nobody wanted to take me because of my condition. I was
really interested in learning radio and television repairs and
approached a lot of people but I was rejected at every point. A lot
of people would prefer an apprentice that could run errands for
them and not one they, in fact, had to dedicate special attention
to.
“After then, I went into some petty trading. After reading a
book titled ‘Where there was no doctor’, I started selling some
analgesic but thank God, I didn’t run into any sort of trouble. I
was around 13 at the time and people would come to me for all sorts
of drugs. Some were even calling me ‘doctor.’ It was the knowledge
I got from the book that I used to prescribe drugs to people for
various sicknesses. My father was the one helping me purchase the
drugs from the nearest town to ours. I did that for about five
years,” he said.
Believing that he had finally found a worthy path for himself in
life, the young lad put the setback he had suffered in the past and
prepared for a future as a ‘village doctor’. It was his only viable
option at that point since education was no longer forthcoming. You
cannot blame him. He had confronted obstacles all his life.
“While I was prescribing and selling drugs to the villagers, I
completely forgot about education, believing that it was not for
me. But one day, a different thought came to my mind and that
launched me towards commencing studies.
“I gathered the textbooks of my elder siblings that had finished
secondary school and started reading. I read various subjects and
was able to understand them. Subsequently, I began to acquire some
books on my own. At that point, I started nursing the idea of
sitting for General Certificate Examination but some people felt I
was becoming too ambitious. They felt that even people who went
through secondary school had not passed GCE; I was aiming to do
so.
“However, my sister assisted me with the fund to register. My
father, in fact, tried to discourage me in a subtle manner. He
asked me several times if I was sure I was not going to be wasting
that money used to buy the examination form. I studied on my own in
the house but few weeks to the exam, I enrolled at a tutorial
centre just to see if all I had been reading was correct or not. I
saw that I knew all that they were teaching there and in fact,
others came to me for more explanation. I was very happy.
“By the time the result was released, I passed six papers. I got
four ‘As’ and two ‘Bs’. That was in 1992. At that point, I just
wanted education even though I didn’t have a particular course in
mind that I wanted to study at the university.
“But after coming in contact with a family when I was taken to a
vocational training centre, my idea changed. I made up my mind to
study law. I did the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination not
too long after that period and passed. I got admitted into the
University of Uyo in 1995/1996 session,” he said.
Onwe’s feat at the GCE and UTME despite not attending secondary
school for a day marked the beginning of a new and interesting
chapter in his life. His resolve to succeed in spite of his
disability became stronger. The thought of leaving Enugu for Akwa
Ibom, a completely new environment, to study, and his family’s poor
financial standing did nothing to discourage him. He was prepared
to endure the pain to enjoy the gains later in life.
“Leaving Enugu for Uyo under my condition called for some
serious considerations but because I had got used to difficult
situations, it didn’t really bother me. Going by the way my parents
brought me up, I could do a lot of things for myself without
relying on anyone. I went to Uyo by myself to do all the necessary
registration and purchase items that I needed as a fresh
undergraduate.
“However, arriving on campus, I realised that it was a
completely new world. Moving from one lecture hall to another from
my hostel was very difficult but I had to adapt fast. Finding
myself studying law at the university was an excitement too big for
me that I completely forgot about the discomfort I faced on a daily
basis.
“Over time, the finances of my family improved. Also, after
passing GCE, I was able to get a small job with it at the local
government office as a Welfare Officer. So, by the time I got
admission into the university, I was granted study leave with pay.
That helped in supporting my education.
“While on campus, I conducted tutorial classes and I was quite
in hot demand. A lot of people knew and always came to me for
further explanations on certain subjects and topics.
“After finishing from the university, I was admitted to the
Enugu campus of the Nigerian Law School in 2002. There also, I
faced a lot of challenges especially moving from one lecture room
to another from my hostel which was about 20 minutes’ walk but at
the end, I triumphed.
“My parents were very happy and proud on the day I finished from
law school. It came as a surprise to many people in my community
because they could not understand how somebody who did not attend
secondary school could go on to become a lawyer,” he narrated
excitedly.
Upon graduation from the law school, Onwe returned to Enugu
where the authorities of Nkanu West Local Government Area
immediately upgraded him to a full-fledged Social Welfare Officer
following his remarkable academic feat despite his physical
disability. But after working there for a while, he relocated to
Lagos to begin a new life and hone his skills as a budding lawyer.
Learning the rudiments of the profession working across different
law firms, the 44-year-old after a few years branched into private
practice. Today, apart from being the Lead Partner at Daniel &
Sophina, a law firm he co-founded, he had employed and mentored
several lawyers over the years, who had gone on to do well for
themselves. In addition, he is now a prominent speaker at many
public events across Nigeria and beyond, noted and celebrated for
his advocacy in favour of special people in the country. Success
follows him everywhere these days.
“Even though polio stole my childhood, I was determined not to
allow it kill my joy and happiness as an individual,” Onwe pointed
out, a bright smile lighting up his face. “A lot of people wrote me
off as a result of my disability but I was determined to let them
know that even from a barren land, the finest fruit could spring
forth. I felt the best way I could silence doubters was to break
barriers despite the hurdles life had placed in my path. Disability
is by no means a limitation. As far as I am concerned, it is an
avenue to show people how great God is. And for me, God’s greatness
has been immense in my life,” he added.
Read more https://www.nairalaw.com/afflicted-by-polio-robbed-of-secondary-education-daniel-onwe/