By Editor
Usman Mohammed, 42, father of four is an HND graduate of accountancy. His hopes and aspirations of a better life after graduation became an admixture of bright future and dashed hopes due to the vagaries of the present realities.
His attempt of securing paid employment could not materialised. He pawn here and there for a befitting jobs to no avail.
Faced with reality of holding a certificate for almost a decade, without value addition, the young Mohammed then decided to venture into a less competitive but self tasking and demanding vocation of riding commercial motorcycle, popularly known as Okada.
His journey into riding Okada was turbulence.
Reminiscing on his life, Mohammed noted that his childhood ambition was to be an accountant. He added that the desire and the zeal to become an accountant and probably secure jobs in blue chip organisations was fired by a man, an Accountant who then lived in the neighborhood working with one of the new generation banks in the country.
He said the man’s comfortable lifestyle ignited his love and passion for the accountancy profession. He had wished himself either accountancy or no other course of study.
According to him, good grades in commercial subjects combination would do the magic for the realisation of his childhood dreams. And when the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) results were released, he passed with flying colours. His joy of furthering his education knows no bound. His hope and determination of a better life and ability to contribute to the national development was upper most in his consciousness.
So, while applying to JAMB for admission, he did not hesitate to choose Accounting as his first, second and third choices, hoping that, after graduation, he will secure employment that will enhance his social and economic status, but that was not to be almost a decade of holding the certificate without an offer close to his dream.
With these thoughts in his conscious and subconscious minds, he got admitted to the Federal Polytechnic Bida, Niger state in the 1995/96 academic session to study Financial Studies in the Department of Accountancy.
Mallam Usman O. Mohammed, who hails from Gegu Beki in Kogi Local Government Area of Kogi state, was an ardent believer of Islamic faith. He was born into a committed Muslim family. During his elementary schooling, he had combined formal education with Islamic education, popularly known as Makaranta. Mohammed, whose ardent love for both forms of education made him a regular attendant at the school mosques and a prominent member of Moslem Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Federal Polytechnic Bida chapter.
Mohammed, in a memory and reflective recollection lane with newsmen about his contact with the then course mate and now Governor of Kogi state, His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, who was a year ahead of him, in the Accountancy Department said, they were bonded together in the MSS activities. He added that after every Jumaat prayers, “we do organise seminars for the brethren to get acquainted with each other. The Friday prayers brought many of us together as acquaintances. We do things together, we studied the quran together and listen to preachings of invited Islamic clerics. We were more like brothers and sisters than just students on campus. We took pictures, unfortunately, there was no GSM then, that will enable storage of pictures.
“Governor Ododo had been a generous man. He hates seeing one in hardship. He was fond of giving out all that he had to satisfy the needs of students at his detriment. He was gentle and God fearing. He never hurt any one while we were there. He was a year ahead of me, and after he left, I lost his contact, until he became the governorship candidate of APC in November 11, 2023 election.
“However, after many submissions of applications for jobs without success, I got a security job with Barrister Zekeri Abass chamber here in Lokoja. With the challenge of putting food on the table of family of six, I decided to venture into riding commercial Okada. It is the job I have done in the last 7years.
” Although, I eke a living from the Okada. The business is no longer sustainable for me as age has begun to dawn on me. Navigating within harsh weather on daily basis is also affecting my health. Riding Okada is full of challenges as one get older. However, I cannot stay at home and see my family going hungry. So, I have to continue until my help comes.
“During the campaign, I featured prominently for him in my ward, Gegu Beki ward C. I campaigned for him, always on the campaign train being led by the present Commissioner for Solid Minerals, Engineer Bashir Gegu. I am most grateful to God for crowning the efforts of the people of Kogi state with his resounding victory.”
He explained that every of his attempt to see the Governor has always been unfruitful.
“I had sought the helps of Engineer Bashir Gegu and Barrister Abass to link me up with the Governor, but without success. I’m convinced that if I have seen him, with the kind of person he is, he will wipe away my tears. He has been generous when he had little and now that he has what to transform a precarious situation, he will by the Grace of God put smile on my face. However, when all connections to reach him failed, I believe he may hear me through this medium.”
While promising to lead advocacy and mobilisng his Okada members across the state for their unalloyed support for the administration and their commitment to be law abiding, charged the good people of the state to continue to support government’s policies and programmes, reminding that Governor Ododo’s few months in office, the state has witnessed peace, security and functional development across all the sectors.
Mohammed can be reached on 08071187130.
