This is merely an appetiser to the full story in a book to be launched in Abuja on June 19, 2021. In the Foreword to Shehu Olaitan Mohammed’s I’m A Survivor: The Story of My Triumph Over Sickle Cell Pains, which is reproduced below; Chief Isiaq Ajibola not only eloquently ushers readers into the life and personality of the author, he also succeeds in offering a lovely insight into an agonising but truly compelling story of triumph over a ‘sickness’ or health condition that has yet no remedy. Happy reading!
WHEN Shehu asked me to write the foreword to his book, I’m A Survivor: The Story of My Triumph Over Sickle Cell Pains, I was delighted to recount the significance of such an empirical book written by a vibrant but fragile-looking sickle cell patient who, amazingly, possesses an extraordinary capacity to conquer his world. The book could be considered as a pointer to how to manage sickle cell anaemia in various epochs – basic education, secondary education, tertiary education and while pursuing one’s work and career in a challenging environment like Nigeria.
When the author turned up at Media Trust Limited’s Kaduna office in 2001, in response to our newspaper advertisement seeking for qualified candidates for the position of Finance Manager, he leaned on a walking stick that did not betray his emotion. He had stated in his application, which I compiled then as co-founder and General Manager of the company, that: “I have impaired mobility (that is, I walk with the aid of a walking stick).” This caveat, I’m sure, was to prepare our minds for the spectacle that would confront us during the interview.
To us at the company, his supposed disability was not an issue, especially judging from his credentials as a Second Class (Upper) degree holder in Accountancy, as well as Chartered Accountant at that time. He further disclosed to the two-man panel that he was a sickle cell patient who had suffered complications that rendered his legs weak, making him to move around with the aid of a walking stick. Though, at that time, we were not very apprehensive of his condition, it still cast doubts about his capacity and capability to deliver on his job.
No doubt, he is qualified to write this book on how sickle cell patients could manage their condition, by taking personal responsibility. According to the author, and truly so, ‘You are your first doctor.’ Anyone suffering the disorder, or any medical condition for that matter, must understand his body and evaluate the appropriate place, time and who should manage his condition. This is the trajectory of someone who has gone through it all as a result of imbued self-consciousness that didn’t make him falter in the course of fighting the dreaded disorder. His advice to his fellow sickle cell patients is to ‘excel at their work and never make excuses for non-performance’ when employed on a job.
The crucial questions were: “What if he was too vulnerable to cope with the challenges of running the Finance Department of our fast-growing media company? How would the company afford likely high medical bills involved in dealing with any crisis that could emerge, being a management staff? However, our apprehension was extinguished by Shehu’s extraordinary brilliance, equanimity and the self-confidence he exhibited during the question and answer session of the interview. We noticed immediately that his determination to manage his health challenges was embedded in his abiding faith and positive values. Consequently, the panel did not falter to offer him a job as an Assistant Manager, second to another candidate who was interviewed on the same day, and who was employed as Manager in charge of Finance and Administration, above Shehu.
As soon as he settled down to work, he proved to us that he was actually the fittest person for the job. This conviction on the part of management facilitated his promotion and elevation as head of finance, until he rose to the position of General Manager (Finance) in the multi-billion naira company.
Throughout his career at Media Trust Limited and my supervisory role as Managing Director over him, Shehu never refused any assignment given to him, however difficult. He was surprisingly quick at meeting deadlines, much earlier than other departmental heads who were presumably physically fit. I could close my eyes to sign any document that Shehu had endorsed because of the trust and confidence I had in his judgment. His financial warnings were precise, and going against them were, indeed, lethal.
No doubt, he is qualified to write this book on how sickle cell patients could manage their condition, by taking personal responsibility. According to the author, and truly so, ‘You are your first doctor.’ Anyone suffering the disorder, or any medical condition for that matter, must understand his body and evaluate the appropriate place, time and who should manage his condition. This is the trajectory of someone who has gone through it all as a result of imbued self-consciousness that didn’t make him falter in the course of fighting the dreaded disorder. His advice to his fellow sickle cell patients is to ‘excel at their work and never make excuses for non-performance’ when employed on a job.
While his family, friends and co-workers had worried about his health condition, Shehu remained vivacious and steadfast in his determination to survive. His intriguing maneuver was revealed in his belief that he needed his doctor, family and friends to travel the unpredictable journey with him. To this end, the author admonishes intending couples to check their genotype before getting married.
He advises people living with sickle cell anaemia to do regular check-ups on their blood behaviours to know what next line of action to take. Most importantly, he advises that patients, not just doctors, must find out the side effects or contraindications in drugs that have been prescribed by medical experts.
As the only surviving son of four male children, the author amplifies the reader’s empathy towards a parent’s agony who had to deal with a distressful ailment like sickle cell anaemia among their offspring. Rightly, he did not attribute any fault to his aged parents who wedded in those days without checking on their genotype, compared to nowadays when medical checks are prerequisites for any marriage. How would parents feel about the high fatality rate in the family to which they didn’t know an end?
This book emphasizes the role of family, friends, neighbours, co-workers and associates in showing concern for the health of others, where they must play the role of ‘we are both in it together’ which was helpful for the author to surpass many threats in the manifestation of the ailment.
It is, therefore, not surprising that the author pays glowing tributes to all that have helped manage his health condition and supported him in crossing the difficult years of his anxiety. The book is a work that must be applauded by every ‘warrior’ and defender of sickle cell anaemia in Nigeria and abroad.
Chief Ajibola is a co-founder and former Managing Director of Daily Trust newspaper. He currently holds the traditional title, Akogun Shaba of Ife Olukotun in South East Yagba Local Government Area of Kogi State.
