The February 1st, 2016 electrical accident which led to the amputation of her both hands might eventually be no more than a partial eclipse as the sun seems set to shine again for Happiness Mathews (Audu), the beautiful figure in this cover picture. Three different players are stepping in with different levels of help. It might not take her outside the country for another medical look at the entire accident but, at the least, she can eventually write her West African School Certificate, (WASC) examination. Happiness’s parents could not afford the registration fee after the material and psychological exhaustion from her accident. As such, Happiness who forced her way back to school after being amputated could not proceed. She is currently working as an attendant in a cybercafé and she just doesn’t see herself to be physically challenged. “I can write oh”, she literarily gave it back to Intervention during an interview. To the question: how do you do it?, her answer is that she joins the two hands together. She is just an incredible story of optimism and determination.
I went back to school with bandage, she continued, because “I don’t like staying at home. I learnt things on my own. I started dressing myself, wearing my clothes”. She went up to writing the Mock WASC but she was not able to write the WASC itself. Why? “Because we didn’t have the money”, she said. Contrary to the line in Intervention’s first story on her, (See (“Happiness Audu’s Amazing Determination”), her father is alive but her hospitalisation had obviously taken a toll.
Before the accident, she was in Senior Secondary School 2, (SS-2). That was at Guzape Secondary and Primary School in Auta Ba Lefi in Nasarawa State where she was schooling. Both herself and the mother rejected the option of amputating the hands. So, she was discharged from the National Hospital on their request. Back home, they tried to turn to native physiotherapy. It just wasn’t working. So, a white man whom she called my daddy’s boss, advised on the danger of not cutting off the hands. It was then she returned to the hospital, but this time the Turkish hospital, Abuja. Someone who obviously doesn’t want to be publicised picked the bill or substantial part of the bill. The rest is now history for her.
What could turn out to be a new beginning for Happiness can be traced to what started a few weeks ago. Someone spotted her on her way to the cyber cafe where she ‘works’. The curious fellow asked her a few questions and gave her a number to call. The call and the subsequent conversation led to a meeting with Dr Ankeli of the Faith Hill Prophetic Assembly at Piwoyi on Airport Road, Abuja. The meeting involved the presidential aide on Disabilities. Whether the aide was there in his official or private capacity, something could still come out of that meeting on November 25th, 2018. That is besides the three players that have in mind one form of help or another for her and would be meeting her shortly to unpack her situation holistically. They are two women leaders and the National Chairman of one of Nigeria’s political parties. They are each concerned about her writing her examination as a matter of urgency.
It is still an unfolding story and Intervention would be following it.
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