Peter, the rock i found in my university class.

When i hear people around me moaning how impossible it is to achieve what they have in mind, seriously, i feel like strangling them to death because somehow, they pass that negative air to others and that is how others go around re-cycling that air to their friends and the world in general.

N.B: make further research on this and prove me wrong.

The story i am sharing here is a story of courage and determination of a youngman who was willing to dare and try despite the challenges of life.

In my university days, i had a coursemate who was partially impaired. Let say he only managed to see shadows of light. So in other words, he was 80% blind.
Before then, throughout my schooling days (nursery to university), i have not met a blind coursemate. I was taken aback in my first year when i realised that there was one in the class.

A look at Peter, the blind guy, you will never guess that he has an abnormality with his eyes 'cause they appeared normal - white pupils, black retina looked same same like any other's except that they appeared dull. Peter wasn't born blind. So he is not under "birth defect" category, his was a case of Glaucoma not discovered early (later, he will always encourage me to take eye tests and clinics serious). So imagine you were Peter that once saw but not seeing again during university. University!!  The dream place of many Nigerian students where many explorings will be done. How will you have the will to continue? But our Peter bought WILL from wherever it was sold and joined our class.

So how did he survive four years with us in the class?

Class:
In our first year, he either clutched cassette reorder or placed the recorder on front seat all through our lectures but somehow in second year and onwards, he reverted to his phone recorder. Quite attentive with retentive memory becoming a full asset to him. He rarely missed lectures and participated like every student. Even when he missed lectures and didn't grab, he will borrow someone's note and  get another fellow to read and record this note on his phone (i did this at some occasions from our first year till third year, i think), finally he will lobby with some of the class smarties (like me *tongue out*) to tutor him further after some hard lectures. That way, he bridged the gap of disadvantage he had. During tests and exams, Peter wrote like the rest with his braille typewriter, punching the keys like a fellow on a mission to prove society wrong.

Outside class:

Peter participated wholely in everything the class did. During the end of the each year's class party, peter attended and will always dance himself to sweat. Peter cheered the class in our sports competitons and even made sensible contributions during our numerous class meetings. He will always stay aloof, looking like he wasn't interested but once any matter disregards his interest, Peter's hand goes up, the class will hush and listen.

On individual basis, Peter was an excellent trekker and very good at famliarizing himself anywhere he went. He walked through the length and width of the school like a dutiful student, behind his guide (i did this job in some occasions). He lived in the hostel like a normal student, cooked with electricity or stove (he is an excellent cook, i can confirm that), ironed his clothes with charcoal or electric iron and still did his assignments with his laptop (are you surprised? You think say na only you wey get eyes dey operate am in 21st century? Abeg, dem get talking laptops. Now you can close your surprised mouth)

Business wise:
Peter pulled off a surprise on the class. It went as a rumour, whispers, grapevine, later, it turned out real. Peter opened a business centre  where photocopying and printing  were done, not only that but he has an employee under him. In other words, Peter became an employer in our second year and had little dependence on his people financially. Can you imagine? His business prospered and his grades. Ask me how he was able to do it, i don't know. I can't even begin to confess the amount of challenge this made me to start tasking myself. This singular act taught us that there was nothing like disability. Nah. If you see persons begging because of their condition or want to be clothed in pity, bros and sister, just know that the person has thinking disability, and not necessarily a consequence of his physical state. Peter, for me, became a yardstick of YOU CAN DO IT EVEN IF THEY SAY YOU CAN'T (ditto to John Mason). He made me to begin to rip off the veil of inactivity blocking my thoughts - thanks Peter.

Scholarship wise:

Truth is, if you're a disadvantaged and you man up the world and instead of asking for pity, you are rather living and daring like every other person, chances (high) are, help will track you down when not asked for. Lemme put it this way, as a person, rational, you will likely help a brother selling recharge cards and hustling on his small capacity than a brother that "balances" at home and waits for the heavenly manna of employment to locate it (remember the parable of talents in the bible? More will be given to those that made judicious use of their little? Exactly). That simple law worked on Peter, i think.
As a disadvantaged person in a university, you are likely to get many scholarships than a normal student. I don't know why it is so but it is the reality on ground. Government may not do much in that area but there are organizations that really do this, like Samuel Maduka Onyishi Foundation (UNN).

Peter recognized this advantage and made judicious use of it. At a point, i thought to myself, "maybe if i can fake blindness to these scholarship boards, maybe i will finally be successful in getting one  since my previous trials have all met successive failure". That was how small envious i somehow grew. But who wouldn't? Even from his state of origin, he garnered scholarships to help augment his welfare.

His grades:

Peter wasn't a dull student. He probably fell under A, B or C student (on average and if things are constant), though i wasn't the grade stalking type of coursemate. I minded my grades alone and don't even pretend to care a hoot about that of a specific individual.

Inasmuch as i don't go around calculating people's grade point for them but i still hear rumors about some coursemates' g.p (yea, coursemates that had on-point g.p or grabbed the only A in a course became the centre of attraction of class gossip).

Peter's name made the grapevines' one day. A second year course, one of the compulsory general studies courses, Peter grabbed the only A in our result sheet.

Whatt!!!! I heard it and kinda stuttered. Pls, understand that i knew that Peter was naturally intelligent before then, but for someone whom everybody had tendency to under-estimate, to now come around and bewild a class of more 70 students, in a non-departmental course, haba!! you too no go shock? Even if to say na small?
Wallahi, after that day, my respect for him did high-jump.

But he also had challenges in grades. As a result of him being the only one whose answer scripts had no ink of pen, rather typewritten, the carelessness of some lecturers came to fore. His scripts were ignored, jumped, thrown away, or even failed abysmally even when he insisted on remarking. Somehow, the scripts developed legs and wings and flew away.
He was victimized at some point, but he never gave up. No!!! He kept on trudging on. He re-registered the courses he failed or those his grade appeared as - - -.
He went from hostels and students' off-campus lodges to do assignments and extra-tutorings. He even did his final year project by himself o, he had coaches, but he contributed immensely.

Biko, why am i celebrating this nearly under-estimated rock of my class? I am doing this so that when next a fellow will whine his/her mouth beside you complaining about unfulfilled dreams and aspiration because of circumstances, kindly pity the fellow. It is not his fault, but the fault of mental disability he/she is passing through.