Main PageNobody Wants To Marry Us, Employers Reject Us, Our Skin Is A Problem –albinos
He was barely one year old when his parents
neglected him and parted ways after a serious fight,
simply because he was an albino, a rare breed that
was contrary to what they had both expected.
Forty years after, Mr. Abdullahi Obafemi, has yet to
recover from the painful knowledge that his parents
abandoned him. They tossed him between each
other until his grandmother, who was living in
northern Nigeria, took over his custody.
Obafemi is still haunted by his history, the
humiliation and rejection he continues to suffer
from the public daily.
"I am my parents' only child. I learnt their
marriage ended abruptly the moment my
mother gave birth to me as an albino. In fact, I
learnt my mother screamed, Eh! Afin ni mo bi
(Ha, I gave birth to an albino) when she saw me.
"While they were busy denying me and fighting
over who would take care of me, my
grandmother took me away from them," [/
b]Obafemi said with a note of sadness.
Growing up was also not easy for Obafemi as he
helplessly endured the constant discrimination
meted against people like him.
Although albinos are no strange beings as they
only lack the pigment that gives colouration to
the skin and body parts, called melanin, they
are usually discriminated against.
Apart from their skin and brown hair, many
albinos suffer from short sight vision, thus, they
usually have challenge with seeing objects,
whether far or near.
Obafemi recalled his tough experience in school.
His bad sight affected his learning in school even
when he sat in front of the class.
He said, "I wasn't seeing things clearly and I
couldn't afford to buy reading glasses. I had to
rely on my classmates so I could copy from their
notes but they often treated me with disdain.
Nobody wanted to move close to an albino.
"Thank God I was brilliant, it was when they saw
that I was very good that they came close to me,
not because they liked me but they knew I
would always solve questions for them so they
could pass."
Despite the resilience and hard work that saw
Obafemi through school, getting a good job has
remained an elusive desire. He was rejected,
abused and humiliated everywhere he looked
for job because of his albinism.
Obafemi studied Building Technology at the
Yaba College of Technology, Lagos.
"The pains, humiliation and rejection I went
through before I could graduate are things I
don't like to remember. It is now more painful
that nobody wants to employ me because of my
skin and some employers even make jest of me.
"There was a time I applied for a job, and having
seen my application, I was invited to write a
test. When I got there, one of the interview
panel members said, 'So you are an albino, don't
worry; we will invite you some other time.'
"When I later got a job as a civil servant, I had to
learn painting to augment my meagre income
and even when people want to give me job,
some people would say I wouldn't see very well
because of my eyes. [b]They say I would paint
green instead of blue . I lost many jobs because of
that too but I got few on compassionate grounds.
"There was a day I went to apply for a security
job, I was asked by the company officials how I
would see people coming in and I told them I
was not blind. But they told me that I was the
one who needed security instead, not for me to
be a security man."
Obafemi has had to combat rejection in many ways,
including relationship with women.
"Thankfully, I have a nine-year-old son now, who
is not an albino, but the family of his mother
didn't allow me to marry her because I was an
albino and they said I wasn't rich enough.
However, I am happy I have one already, but I
wish I was not an albino, because life would
have been easier for me, like others," he added.
Peculiar troubles
Obafemi's situation underscores the challenge being
faced by people affected by albinism. Inasmuch as
they are also humans, many of them have dreams of
what to become in life but a number of them have
had their hope of a better life replaced by
frustration and utter dislike for themselves.
Tola Banjoko is another albino. She suffers from
bad sight, and that alone has cost her the desire to
go to school as she had to drop out of school.
Born into a family of 10, and as the only albino in
the family, life dealt cruelly with her. She told
Saturday Punch that not even the idea of sitting in
front of the class would help her situation and since
her mother could not buy the recommended glasses
to aid her vision, she had to stop going to school
and opted to run a kiosk.
She said, "When I complained to my mother that I
didn't see things on the board, she didn't really know
what to do. My mother went to plead with my
teacher to allow me to sit in front but that didn't
solve the problem.
"I was able to finish primary school because one of
my teachers would sit beside me and read the
questions to me during exams, but there was no
such help when I got to a public secondary school
that my parents could afford.
"In JSS1, one of my teachers would always tell me to
go and sit at the back because she said I was too tall
to sit in front. Even when I tried to explain why I
needed to sit there, she wouldn't listen. And my own
sight was so bad that I could put number one in two
sometimes. When I became so disturbed about
everything, I stopped schooling, more so that I
couldn't afford the pair of glasses that would have
aided my sight."
Banjoko told Saturday PUNCH that after she
dropped out of school, her skin began to change for
the worst when she had to defy the golden rule for
albinos not to roam in the sun, to look for a job until
she couldn't get any and had to settle for running a
small kiosk on the street where she earns a living.
"While I was going out to look for job, it was like
fire was burning my skin each time I was in the
sun until I was forced to start selling things. I
still want to go to school and I don't want to lose
hope, but I feel very bad that I am an albino
because my education has suffered for it and
that is a huge loss for me. I wish I was not an
albino but what can I do?" she lamented.
Lamentation, a shared currency
While Banjoko had to drop out of school because of
her sight, Chiamaka Chikwem, 26, managed to go to
school but has not had much to show for it, even
though she finished with a Second Class Upper
Division.
She told Saturday PUNCH that she feels so unlucky
and unfortunate being an albino because of the
disappointments, marginalisation and
discrimination she has had to live with.
Chikwem, a graduate of Microbiology from
Michael Okpara University, Umudike, Abia State
lamented that she had been so frustrated to the
extent of considering suicide when it seemed
the doors of favour had been shut against her.
"Even when I know I am qualified for a job, I
don't get it and some even say it to my face that
an albino cannot do their kind of work. Albinism
does not affect our intelligence, we are not
blind, it is just the skin colour and our sight. I
believe in myself and I know I will make it because I
won't give up," she lamented.
I will never marry an albino
Chikwem said even though God created her for a
purpose, she would never marry a fellow albino.
She said, "I feel unlucky and unfortunate being
an albino and I will never marry an albino or
someone with the gene because that would be
double tragedy. It is not because there is
something wrong with albinos, I am an albino,
but the discrimination has made it a problem.
"I am at the moment an office secretary somewhere
and I do another free job because some don't even
want me in the first place, so I forced myself to be
there so I could be actively engaged even if I am not
being paid. I like to practise what I studied, but
nobody wants to give albinos a chance. But I won't
stop searching in spite of the frustration.
"If I struggled to go to school with my short
sightedness and graduated with a Second Class
Upper division and I still do not get a job
because of my colour, that is not a thing of joy. I
am sad. Now I want to do my Master's programme
if that would help, but I don't have the money."
As she continues to look for job, Chikwem is not
thinking about being in a relationship even at
26, because she rarely gets passes from men.
She said, "That I'm an albino may be a factor,
but I don't want to think that way. I don't even
like to think about it so that it doesn't compound my
problem, and the reason why you don't see many
albinos at the top is because of the adversities that
we face. Those who are not strong-willed tend to
lose hope and withdraw their efforts.
"I once considered suicide when the adversities
and rejection became so severe; but I chose to
face it headlong. When one is pushed beyond
some limit, a reaction like suicide could flash
through the mind."
Source:
http://www.punchng.com/feature/nobody-wants-to-
marry-us-employers-reject-us-our-skin-is-a-
problem-albinos/
neglected him and parted ways after a serious fight,
simply because he was an albino, a rare breed that
was contrary to what they had both expected.
Forty years after, Mr. Abdullahi Obafemi, has yet to
recover from the painful knowledge that his parents
abandoned him. They tossed him between each
other until his grandmother, who was living in
northern Nigeria, took over his custody.
Obafemi is still haunted by his history, the
humiliation and rejection he continues to suffer
from the public daily.
"I am my parents' only child. I learnt their
marriage ended abruptly the moment my
mother gave birth to me as an albino. In fact, I
learnt my mother screamed, Eh! Afin ni mo bi
(Ha, I gave birth to an albino) when she saw me.
"While they were busy denying me and fighting
over who would take care of me, my
grandmother took me away from them," [/
b]Obafemi said with a note of sadness.
Growing up was also not easy for Obafemi as he
helplessly endured the constant discrimination
meted against people like him.
Although albinos are no strange beings as they
only lack the pigment that gives colouration to
the skin and body parts, called melanin, they
are usually discriminated against.
Apart from their skin and brown hair, many
albinos suffer from short sight vision, thus, they
usually have challenge with seeing objects,
whether far or near.
Obafemi recalled his tough experience in school.
His bad sight affected his learning in school even
when he sat in front of the class.
He said, "I wasn't seeing things clearly and I
couldn't afford to buy reading glasses. I had to
rely on my classmates so I could copy from their
notes but they often treated me with disdain.
Nobody wanted to move close to an albino.
"Thank God I was brilliant, it was when they saw
that I was very good that they came close to me,
not because they liked me but they knew I
would always solve questions for them so they
could pass."
Despite the resilience and hard work that saw
Obafemi through school, getting a good job has
remained an elusive desire. He was rejected,
abused and humiliated everywhere he looked
for job because of his albinism.
Obafemi studied Building Technology at the
Yaba College of Technology, Lagos.
"The pains, humiliation and rejection I went
through before I could graduate are things I
don't like to remember. It is now more painful
that nobody wants to employ me because of my
skin and some employers even make jest of me.
"There was a time I applied for a job, and having
seen my application, I was invited to write a
test. When I got there, one of the interview
panel members said, 'So you are an albino, don't
worry; we will invite you some other time.'
"When I later got a job as a civil servant, I had to
learn painting to augment my meagre income
and even when people want to give me job,
some people would say I wouldn't see very well
because of my eyes. [b]They say I would paint
green instead of blue . I lost many jobs because of
that too but I got few on compassionate grounds.
"There was a day I went to apply for a security
job, I was asked by the company officials how I
would see people coming in and I told them I
was not blind. But they told me that I was the
one who needed security instead, not for me to
be a security man."
Obafemi has had to combat rejection in many ways,
including relationship with women.
"Thankfully, I have a nine-year-old son now, who
is not an albino, but the family of his mother
didn't allow me to marry her because I was an
albino and they said I wasn't rich enough.
However, I am happy I have one already, but I
wish I was not an albino, because life would
have been easier for me, like others," he added.
Peculiar troubles
Obafemi's situation underscores the challenge being
faced by people affected by albinism. Inasmuch as
they are also humans, many of them have dreams of
what to become in life but a number of them have
had their hope of a better life replaced by
frustration and utter dislike for themselves.
Tola Banjoko is another albino. She suffers from
bad sight, and that alone has cost her the desire to
go to school as she had to drop out of school.
Born into a family of 10, and as the only albino in
the family, life dealt cruelly with her. She told
Saturday Punch that not even the idea of sitting in
front of the class would help her situation and since
her mother could not buy the recommended glasses
to aid her vision, she had to stop going to school
and opted to run a kiosk.
She said, "When I complained to my mother that I
didn't see things on the board, she didn't really know
what to do. My mother went to plead with my
teacher to allow me to sit in front but that didn't
solve the problem.
"I was able to finish primary school because one of
my teachers would sit beside me and read the
questions to me during exams, but there was no
such help when I got to a public secondary school
that my parents could afford.
"In JSS1, one of my teachers would always tell me to
go and sit at the back because she said I was too tall
to sit in front. Even when I tried to explain why I
needed to sit there, she wouldn't listen. And my own
sight was so bad that I could put number one in two
sometimes. When I became so disturbed about
everything, I stopped schooling, more so that I
couldn't afford the pair of glasses that would have
aided my sight."
Banjoko told Saturday PUNCH that after she
dropped out of school, her skin began to change for
the worst when she had to defy the golden rule for
albinos not to roam in the sun, to look for a job until
she couldn't get any and had to settle for running a
small kiosk on the street where she earns a living.
"While I was going out to look for job, it was like
fire was burning my skin each time I was in the
sun until I was forced to start selling things. I
still want to go to school and I don't want to lose
hope, but I feel very bad that I am an albino
because my education has suffered for it and
that is a huge loss for me. I wish I was not an
albino but what can I do?" she lamented.
Lamentation, a shared currency
While Banjoko had to drop out of school because of
her sight, Chiamaka Chikwem, 26, managed to go to
school but has not had much to show for it, even
though she finished with a Second Class Upper
Division.
She told Saturday PUNCH that she feels so unlucky
and unfortunate being an albino because of the
disappointments, marginalisation and
discrimination she has had to live with.
Chikwem, a graduate of Microbiology from
Michael Okpara University, Umudike, Abia State
lamented that she had been so frustrated to the
extent of considering suicide when it seemed
the doors of favour had been shut against her.
"Even when I know I am qualified for a job, I
don't get it and some even say it to my face that
an albino cannot do their kind of work. Albinism
does not affect our intelligence, we are not
blind, it is just the skin colour and our sight. I
believe in myself and I know I will make it because I
won't give up," she lamented.
I will never marry an albino
Chikwem said even though God created her for a
purpose, she would never marry a fellow albino.
She said, "I feel unlucky and unfortunate being
an albino and I will never marry an albino or
someone with the gene because that would be
double tragedy. It is not because there is
something wrong with albinos, I am an albino,
but the discrimination has made it a problem.
"I am at the moment an office secretary somewhere
and I do another free job because some don't even
want me in the first place, so I forced myself to be
there so I could be actively engaged even if I am not
being paid. I like to practise what I studied, but
nobody wants to give albinos a chance. But I won't
stop searching in spite of the frustration.
"If I struggled to go to school with my short
sightedness and graduated with a Second Class
Upper division and I still do not get a job
because of my colour, that is not a thing of joy. I
am sad. Now I want to do my Master's programme
if that would help, but I don't have the money."
As she continues to look for job, Chikwem is not
thinking about being in a relationship even at
26, because she rarely gets passes from men.
She said, "That I'm an albino may be a factor,
but I don't want to think that way. I don't even
like to think about it so that it doesn't compound my
problem, and the reason why you don't see many
albinos at the top is because of the adversities that
we face. Those who are not strong-willed tend to
lose hope and withdraw their efforts.
"I once considered suicide when the adversities
and rejection became so severe; but I chose to
face it headlong. When one is pushed beyond
some limit, a reaction like suicide could flash
through the mind."
Source:
http://www.punchng.com/feature/nobody-wants-to-
marry-us-employers-reject-us-our-skin-is-a-
problem-albinos/
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