With an estimated 150,000 annual births of babies with sickle cell anaemia -regarded as the most common form of sickle cell disease, Nigeria takes almost half of the share of more than 300,000 babies with severe haemoglobin disorders that are born globally each year.
These staggering statistics, according to health experts, has ranked Nigeria as a black sheep among the comity of nations. Our Correspondent, Femi Oyelola, however, writes that Hajia Badiya is giving succour to the underprivileged sicklers in Kaduna State.
Despite the economic hardships ravaing the country for the past couple of years, there are Nigerians that cannot be cut off from seeing to the wellbeing of others even at their expense and that of their family members. Driven by the general good of society and their inate altruistic passion, they would give their all, no matter the circumstance, to ensure that those with forlorn hope are lifted out of their predicaments.
The founder of Sickle Cell Patient Health Promotion Centre, (SCPHPC), Hajiya Badiya Magaji Inuwa, is one such person and she, no doubt, derives joy in putting smiles on the faces of less the privileged sickle cell anaemia patients in Kaduna State.
The Katsina’ state born philanthropist, founded the centre located in Badarawa, Kaduna North Local Government Area in memory of her son, late Malam Isa Inuwa, who died at age 35 in 2006 of sickle cell anaemia.
Speaking to Weekend Peoples Daily, Hajiya Inuwa, said she gave birth to two sicklers but one of them is late.
But rather than folding her arms and cursing her God for this misfortune, she rose up to the challenge. The ultruistic philanthropist declared war against sickle cell anaemia, vowing to fight that killer of joy to a stsndstill in her life time. And she has found victims of humanity’s worst killer disease as battle axe for this fight. By giving succour to the sicklers who are less privileged in the society, she would have delt a devastating blow on sickle sell disease, usually referred to as SCD.
She said this determination culminated in the establishment of SCPHPC in Kaduna State which provides free routine drugs to over 3,500 poor sicklers and also encourage blood test to confirm a patient’s genotype at no cost. Hajia Inuwa, therefore, appears to be winning the war with this life changing initiative.
From commencements so far received as of this year’s Ramadan season, Hajiya Badiya Magaji Inuwa, has been providing food for the less privileged sicklers, though it is a law that sicklers of the Centre do not fast due to their peculiarity.
When asked why only the less privileged sicklers deserve her attention, Hajiya Inuwa, said she thanked God that she is from a privileged family and knows how long she was moving from one hospital to the next.
Recounting an experience during one of the crises her late son, Isa Inuwa suffered, she said when she got downstairs to fetch a doctor, she met a woman crying, but because her attention was focused on her own son which later stabilized the next day, she could not ask why she was crying.
“The second day when I came out I saw the same woman looking sober. I asked her why she was weeping yesterday? She answered that the doctor refused to attend to her child because she could not afford to pay the required fee, and the child was a sickler.
“When I returned to the ward, I discussed with my son, the Sickler, who was on admission in the same hospital, and he said it would be better to assist the woman and other less privileged sicklers who are experiencing crises like him. I went down to settle the bill, unfortunately the woman’s child passed away the following day
“When my son heard the sad news, he wept and together we made a commitment to assist the less privileged sicklers with the little resources Allah has blessed us with. But unfortunately, not too long my son also died,” she narrated.
In view of the sad incident about her son’s demise, Hajiya Inuwa vowed to honour her son in death by establishing the Centre, which now caters for over 3,000 sicklers in Kaduna State.
Hajiya Badiya Magaji Inuwa has since continued to up her game in seeing to the well-being of underprivilged sicklers as ahe was also in the news on recently when she presented a tricycle to a Person with Disability (PwD) who is also a sickler, Sanusi.
How did she meet Danusi? According to her, one of her workers introduced Sanusi as a PwD sickler who needed help to enable him move around freely, and the Center agreed to provide a wheelchair for him. And within a space of two weeks, Sanusi was presented with the tricycle.
While presenting the tricycle to the beneficiary, Hajiya Badiya Magaji Inuwa encouraged him to use it for the purpose it was meant for, and to never look down on himself as either a PwD or a sickler.
In his remarks, the elated Sanusi, who could not hold back his joy, said he decided to give it a trial asking for a wheelchair and today, he has gotten a modern one, which showed that there is no harm in asking.
Another Sickler from the centre, Maryam Ibrahim, said Hajiya Badiya Magaji Inuwa, whom they popularly referred to as ‘Mama Sickler’ has actually been a mother to all the sicklers in the centre.
She, however, called for all other well meaning Nigerians to team up with the centre to ensure that smile is put on the faces of more sicklers in the state.
For the beneficiaries of her spirited effort to tame SCD especially in Kaduna, and good spirited Nigerians generally, Hajiya Badiya Magaji Inuwa will always be remembered as a rising star and giver of hope for the sickle cell anaemia patients especially the less privileged ones.
