Let me start this memorable journey with my Sister, Mrs. Alabi Helen with Biblical Verse. 1 John 4:12; No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
I remember with great joy the days of our childhood together and also our youth. My beloved sister, I love you very much and I wish you many congratulations on your birthday.
From the moment I entered this world you have been here ready to love me unconditionally. You were and still are an answer to the prayer I was not wise enough to pray. You’re the shoulder I always freely lean on. I can’t seem to envision how life would have turned out if you weren’t a part of it.
Through all the good and bad, laughter, heartbreaks, ups and downs you have always been there. When our once happy home was no more, your love for me gave me hope of a better tomorrow. When I was too blind to see and decide any better, you were there guiding me every step of the way.
At our adolescents age, we are not just siblings but we are one I have Sister and Brother before you but we follow each other’s guide and advice. It was on a memory when we lived with our late maternal grandmother at our late Uncle Audu’s residence of the Blessed memeries, when you were in Secondary School then and I was in primary school. You taught me how to pronounce words or read and did school-home assignment for me. I learned how to cook food from her so that I can be assisting her in cooking and also be useful for myself, when I thought I knew how to cook food, I started cooking. Funny enough, at times my cooked food was half-done still we ate it together. That was how I became an expert in cooking food.
As an industrious Sister, after her School hours or on weekend, she will be weaving Ebira Cloth (Ita-Inochi) of all kinds. For the love we had for each other I always stayed with her and she equally taught me how to weave Cloth to the extent at that times when she vacated a seat to take a rest, I will takeover and at the same time she can be weaving her cloth while I joined her in decorating the cloth (Ukoro/Achere).
She has never one day pity my condition because she always see so many abilities in me. I remembered vividly when the weakness of my limbs first surfaced that made me stop my Secondary School at JSS Class. Our late Father being so caring and a type of man who doesn’t let’s any of his children stay idle, engaged me to learn a work which I did and later owned a shop. But in December 28, 1996 when my Sister got married to this humble man named Pastor Samuel Alabi, whom I see as a Brother not an in-law that snatched my lovely Sister from home to Ibadan to form his own family in the following doctrine of Genesis 1:28. It was a mixure of joy and bitterness. I feel lonely but warmed by the memories of the time we had growing up together. .
On one faithful day, I sat myself down and asked myself series of questions which demand some answers. The questions were; why is it that most People Living with Disabilities in our society fail to go to School but take only to learning works instead? Am I too dull to continue my Education? Why can’t mine be different? When I took all these questions to my lovely late father, he took them with levity, the reason being that I was the one who stop my educational pursuit in the first place due to my inability to walk for a long distance. Jokingly, he told me if I can start sponsoring myself since he has established me in the work I learned. I told my father that I will close that shop, I will not die as an artisan but an educationist or academician. My late father gave a nod to my statement and still asked me to start sponsoring myself and he will know when to assist me. When I told this to my delightful Sister, here are the simple answer she gave me- “O.T have it at the back of your mind or think that if you come to this world and you do not meet your parent or have family, what will you do? Can’t you still plan and execute it? Be focused that is what I can say”. If you look at the statement, it’s somehow harsh but full of sense which I adapted till now. I immediately returned to secondary school with the help of this my beloved Sister but my late father later took full responsibility of my School fees when he saw my zeal towards education and the shop was closed as I promised.
As Almighty God designed my life, this lovely father of mine answered his call when I was in ND1 in 2002, May His Soul Continue to Rest in Perfect Peace. It was this my sister who came home for our Daddy’s Funeral that took me along to Ibadan so that I can stop crying everyday, then I was in my second semester vacation. With her courageous words of advice, I thank God, I am a graduate of HND in Accountancy. What a wonderful Sister!
My Adventures in short with my Sister, Friend and Mother; In 2010, despite my Kyphosis or Hunch Back, the weakness of my two limbs resurfaced again. With the help of this Sister of mine, family members and other notable people which I cannot mention here now, I was assisted to so many hospital within Nigeria to seek for treatment but no single hospital among the numerous ones I went to could attend to my case. An India hospital was suggested by my Neurologist Doctor for a better handling of the operation. In December 2011, I had my first appointment with the Indian hospital but none of my family members was willing to abandon his or her family, job or businesses to follow me to India for the operation and I don’t blame anyone for that. In the spirit of what my Sister said before “if you didn’t meet your parents alive can’t you survive?”, with this statement in mind, I went alone to India that December, 2011. Due to the inadequate tests I did in Nigeria, I had to go through another series of test again. All these shortened my financial strength for the operation and this is coupled with the fact that none of my family member was with me in the Indian hospital to serve as an attendant to sign the consent form for me. For these reasons, I had no other option than to return to Nigeria and look for more money and attendant. I came back to Nigeria in January 2012. With the help of good people in my community, I raised more money and I sold my uncompleted Building to meet up with the hospital bill but the difficulty in getting someone to accompany me as an attendant was still an obstacle.
When this my Darling Sister saw that there was no one ready to follow me to India as attendant, she flashed back to our childhood relationship and with the understanding husband she has, risked her marriage and abandoned her children with her husband and followed me to India for the operation April 12, 2012 and we spent 2 months in India without her cooking for her husband nor seeing her children. You are a perfect sister for me. Thanks for tolerating me when I seem to make things difficult for you. With all this, there is no day she won’t call me to know my condition. My Super Sister you are worth to celebrate.
See the wisdom in the moral and psychological care of my sister towards my life; In early 2016, she called me and said I know you are thinking of either not having wife nor children yet but what is important most are the numbers of children you have touched their life as it will speak for you in the hereafter. So continue the good deeds I know you for, especially guiding people towards attaining their educational goals as this will speak for you, in a manner no biological children will do for any family. At times, I envy you for your courage and the good job you are doing. This alone uplifted my spirit above thinking of having children.
Let me at this point state as a matter of emphasis that this write-up is not to attract your sympathy but for you reading it to join me in celebrating my Sister’s Golden Jubilee. Yes, I am a Physically Challenged Person but with many Abilities and by God’s grace, the owner of Hope Global Computer College Okengwe. I am a type of person that sees everyone has disabled because not a single person in this world that is 100% good in all area. In any area you get to know you are weak that simply mean your disabled on that task.
I don’t remember a time when I needed you and you weren’t there. I am truly blessed to have a sister like you who has become my second mother. When mom couldn’t always be there to take care of me, you stepped up and became my second mom, a Super Hero. I can’t remember how many times I have checked your ID just to confirm your age, you are just too perfect for your age.
Almost everyday, you care so much that you can’t help but to check on me with your calls., You are always more concerned about my condition and this has, among many other sisters around the world, made you more exceptionally wonderful and a rare gem never to be toyed with but to be treasured till eternity. God for sure worked double shifts on you and I am honored to have celebrated your birthday in this 2021 with you by my side.
Words that best describe you have not been invented yet. I am so grateful to have been blessed with such a selfless, thoughtful, caring and loving sister as you are. On your special day, I wish you more sunshine than rain. More laughter than sadness and above that God’s arm that is not too short to save may always be there to save you and His ear that is not too dull to hear may always be open to your cries. (Isaiah 59:1)
My unreserved appreciation to Alabi’s family; Esther, Praise and Joshua who have seen no reasons to distant their mother from me or to weaken our relationship but see me as their Uncle, Father and Friend. May Almighty God not allow any of you to taste my pain and your generation to come.
Happy Birthday to my Sweet, Special, Unique, Outstanding, Unquestionable and Adorable Sister. You took our relationship beyond sharing a womb. You made my stay at home worthwhile and you never made me feel lonely while I’m away. I want to appreciate your kindness today, may you be rewarded generously.
GOLDEN JUBILEE CELEBRATION!
Signed:
Comr Yakubu Nazir Abdulhakeem
Younger Brother
