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| Mrs. Juliana Godwin with her son, Sam Godwin, in front of Junior Secondary School, Gosa, Abuja signboard |
Mrs. Godwin, her education stalled by lack of sponsorship, a situation that made her to drop out, in 1983, of LEA Primary School, Riyom.
Read her story as told to Vanguard newspaper after the jump....
“I had to leave for Jos in 1983, since my father could no longer sponsor my education to secondary school because he had no money. While I was with my cousin, I enrolled in a tailoring shop to learn dress making. I completed it within a year and six months.
In 2001, me and my children left Jos to join myhusband in Abuja, where we live at Gosa village, along Airport Road.
I became the bread-winner of her family. Since I had skill in hair plaiting, that became a source of livelihood for us. Later I ventured into hawking of water in a basin in Gosa market to boost the family’s income.
“In 2003, I was able to save some money from water hawking. I started pepper and tomato business with N1,000 from the savings. I also went into corn roasting business, but my husband stopped me from the business in 2007,” she said.
In 2008, i decided to go into vocational training with a non-governmental organisation called Refocusing Nigerian Talents Organisation, RENITO, where iwas trained in soap (liquid, medicated and bar), pomade and disinfectants production.
“Now I can produce and sell the products I was trained on, and I started with N1,500”
“I came to realise that the business was lucrative and helpful to me and my family. I decided to make savings towards going back to school after I dropped out in 1983.
“My husband was against my decision and quarrelled seriously with me. But I didn’t give up on my decision. In 2013, I went on to enrol at Junior Secondary School, Gosa, Airport Road, Abuja, where I started in JSS I F. I was able to raise N10, 000 to pay for admission expenses.
“Why I decided to start from JSSI was because I had never in my life stepped into the four walls of a secondary school. I told myself I will start from JSS I, as it will help me to have the foundation of secondary school education and to understand what I would be taught.
“My principal was surprised and asked me whether I could cope with secondary school education as an adult and a married woman. He and the staff also encouraged me to continue since I had made up my mind. But my husband continued making trouble to stop me”.
“I am the oldest person in the class of 80 students. I participate in every school activity, and I am happy with that. Even when I come late to school, the teachers do punish me just like other students, and I have no problem with that, but I do behave myself as an adult.”
“I have seen great changes in my life, and I am coping seriously. My aim is to study marketing in the university after I would have completed my senior secondary education”, she narrated.
Recall that a few years back, veteran Kola Oyewo also when back to school and today, he holds a Ph.d.
