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If not for some Corps members, Yohanna Daniel, a senior Secondary School (SSS3) pupil, would have been dead by now. He was about to commit suicide following a road crash that led to the amputation of his right leg when Corps members in Gadabuke Development Area of Nasarawa State came to his rescue. DAYO OJERINDE (Corps member, NYSC Keffi) tells Yohanna’s story.
Hohanna Daniel, a Senior Secondary School (SSS) 3 pupil of Unity High School in Gadabuke Development Area of Nasarawa State, contemplated suicide after several months of battling with gangrene on his right leg. He had anaccident on a motorcycle while travelling to Gadabuke Town from his village. The motorcycle collided with an oncoming car.
He was unconscious for several hours after the accident. When he opened his eyes, he found himself at Godiya Private Hospital, Gadabuke, where sympathisers rushed him to after the crash.
His right leg was damaged and the medical personnel told him he would require an operation.
His parents made funds available for the operation. But after a series of operations, which Yohanna said the hospital handled carelessly, the pains persisted. Rather than heal, the leg began to decay. Having exhausted themselves, Yohanna’s parents could not provide funds for another operation. Apparently frustrated, Yohanna said he began to think of suicide. He said if he died, the pain would disappear. He said he had a dream of becoming a successful professional, but life became unbearable for him because of the pains.
Corps members serving in Gadabuke Town changed his suicide plan. Through their Community DevelopmentService (CDS), the Corps members. They contributed their monthly allowance to enable Yohanna undergo another round of surgery at the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, where Yohanna’s leg was amputated to stop the decay. Speaking on what motivated the Corps members, the CDS Co-ordinator, Jeffery Igbuzor, said: “This boy lives close to my house. I felt the pain he was going through because the doctor that operated the leg after the accident did a bad job. I informed my colleagues about the agony of the pupil at a CDS meeting we had. They all supported the idea and we moved it.”
Asked about the challenges they encountered, Jeffery said: “We could not get all the funds requested at the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi. Many of us had to contribute from our meagre stipends. We also went round the schools in Gadabuke Development Area to seek for money. Some principals supported us while some promised to get back to us.”
The Corpers’ Liaison Officer (CLO) in the area, who was present in the hospital during the surgery, said: “We appreciate the effort of our Local Inspector (LI), Mr Moses Adamolekun, who was supportive during the period. He could have rejected the whole idea in the first place but he encouraged us and even visited the hospital to check on the boy after the surgery. All Corps members in Gadabuke took the issue of this boy as their personal project.” When CAMPUSLIFE visited him, Yohanna, who could hardly speak, broke down in tears, saying: “If the Corps members did not come to my rescue, I would have committed suicide because of the pains I was passing through after theaccident and after the first careless operation I had. I will return to school as soon as the wound is healed.” Adamolekun said: “When the Corps members informed about the condition of Yohanna, my heart literally melted. I told them that this is a task we must do to save the life of the boy. In a way, we have tried our best, and we will not stop there; an artificial leg is important too. We want this boy to be on his feet again, though with an artificial leg. I believe with God, everything is possible.”
The lad is in need of an artificial leg, the Corps members said would cost N150,000. Having contributed from their personal finance, the Corps members urged philanthropists across the nation to join in giving Yohanna’s life a meaning.
