ABU Zaria Denied Me Admission To Study Law Because Of My Disability, Blind Young Man, Deshi Godwin Justin Laments

A blind person from Pankshin local government of Plateau state, Deshi Godwin Justin, has lamented that Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria denied him admission to study law due to his disability.

He said this during an interview with Bulus Izang Bala of THE QUALITATIVE MAGAZINE

Justin, who happens to be the last born of the six children of his parents and the only one with disability said “After I wrote JAMB and got 236 points in 2019. I applied to ABU Zaria to read civil law.

“In August 2019, we did the online post UME screening and on the 20th of August, 2019. I left Plateau for Zaria to write the post UME on the following day which is 21 day of August.

“On the day of the post UME examination, I went there, at the entrance of the examination hall, I was stopped by one of the staff, he told me not to worry, that special students don’t usually write Post-UME Examination, that the University have special consideration for persons with disabilities, that I should go home and wait for admission and if my name in not on the list, I should come and see the Senate. that was after I showed him my JAMB result and he was satisfied.

“In November, 2019. The admission list came out but my name was not on the first list, so I waited for the second list, when the second came, still my name was not on it.

“In December, 2019. I received a call from JAMB office in Abuja, directing me to go to ABU Zaria on the 7 of January 2020 concerning my admission. Which I did. They check my JAMB Result, take down my details and told me, they will get back to me in a week time. After the one week, I did not hear from them, I called them, they said I should give them another week, the second week came and passed, I did not still hear from them. I called them severally but each time, my calls were ignored.

“My concerned here, is this, ABU gave us directives and I complied with the directives, yet I was denied admission with no reason known to me.

“I wrote JAMB this year, but did not meet the required points for law at the University of Jos. so I changed course to Sociology. And I am still waiting for admission.”

When asked as to how he coped with life at home and at school, Justin said his parents told him that he was not born blind, but to him, he grew up knowing himself as a blind person. He was never discriminated against either at home or school till he entered secondary school

“At home among members of my family and in the Compound where we live, I did not faced treatment that one would say amount to discrimination.

“The primary school I attended was a school for blind children, there is no problem of discrimination based on disability.

“I should say, it was in my first year in secondary school that I felt a little bit out of place, because, I was the only blind person in the school, so people were wandering how would I make it, but with time, that passed.

“Another area of challenge, is when I go out, what I know I can do, people may be out of pity would offer to do it for me, which I don’t really like so much. Yes, I need assistance, but not in everything.”

Another area of challenge was finance. He said his mother was the one that paid for his education and those of his siblings. Unfortunately the mother died while he was in his final year in secondary school. Therefore, when the University of Jos offered him admission in 2016 to read law, he couldn’t take the offer. There was no money to take it up.

He said he has written JAMB again this year. But because he did not meet the required points for law at the University of Jos, he has changed course to Sociology and is still waiting for admission.