From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
Yusha’u
It was American-born agricultural scientist, George Washington Carver, who described education as the key that unlocks the golden door to freedom. As old as Washington’s postulation is, many people across all tribes and regions still have limitations from acquiring either secular or religious education.
Young Ibrahim Abubakar has broken a generational jinx by becoming the first graduate and member of the National Youth Service (NYSC) from a family of about 500.
The desire for Yusha’u, a native of the Malamawa community, which is about 20 kilometres off western Rigasa in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, to beat his family’s educational background record was borne out of an incident of child marriage while he was in primary school in 2004.
Apart from being the most populous community in Kaduna State with over one million residents, Rigasa also serves as the first bus-stop for new arrivals, those seeking greener pastures in the state, especially for Muslims from other northern states.
Yusha’u studied Health Information Management at Usman Danfodio University Teaching Hospital and now participating in the one-year mandatory national service in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
When this correspondent engaged Yusha’u after seeing his social media post, he shared his journey to ‘stardom’ among his siblings and community.
According to him, while in primary school, his classmate, Amina, was married off by her caregivers when she was just 11-years-old. That act propelled Yusha’u to leave his village and other siblings in search of knowledge that could empower him to return to the village in the future and become an advocate of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).
In a Facebook post titled, ‘Breaking the cycle: My journey to becoming the first graduate in my family’, he said he never saw it coming – to become the first person to earn a degree and now participating in the prestigious national service.
“They say every family has a trailblazer. I didn’t know I would be the one to break the cycle of hardship and become the first graduate in a family of over 500.
“My journey was not easy. But it was a story worth sharing to inspire anyone facing seemingly insurmountable odds, especially young persons like me.
“In 2005, I had to wait for two years just to save N350 for my junior secondary school registration fee. After I completed junior secondary school, I faced another year of waiting and searching for a way to pay for senior secondary school.
“That was when God sent the Director of Khalifa School, Malam Jamilu, who generously gave me a scholarship. Even with his support, it took me another year to gather money and register for the West African Examination Council (WAEC) examination.
“After missing six university admissions in three years due to financial constraints, my dream of studying medicine seemed more and more elusive, but I kept pushing.
“Then, I started hustling, raising little funds, and got admission into the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in 2013, only to drop out in 2017 due to circumstances beyond my control. I had to start from scratch in 2018, pursuing a pre-degree and later having my Higher National Diploma (HND).
“I remembered when people who worked with me abused and left me because I was yet to be a graduate. Thank God, they did because that also further cemented my intention to graduate and participate in NYSC.
“Alhamdulillah (thank God), I graduated. The pride is not in the certificate or the social media posts, it is in the perseverance, the grit and the fact that my journey could inspire others.
“It is me being the game-changer for my family and proving that no matter where you start, you can break the cycle of whatever you carefully observed to be a negative trait in the family.
“The journey is not about the uniform or the accolades, it is about paving the way for those who come after you. I did it, and you too can. I am proud that I have been helping to solve critical problems that affect not only my family but my entire village and the world.
“To anyone out there struggling with similar challenges, know that it might be tough and longer than you planned, but with faith, hard work, and a little bit of luck, you can turn things around. Keep pushing, keep fighting and one day you’ll look back with the same pride I have today,” Yushau expressed.