How my father sold his car to send me to university

“It was a mistake,” Dr. Abdulkadir began, “but my father lost his car because of it. It was 1982 , the year I was offered admission at the then Sokoto University, now Usmanu Dan Fodio University, for my undergraduate studies. My intention was to report to the university and commence registration as scheduled. But that […]

“It was a mistake,” Dr. Abdulkadir began, “but my father lost his car because of it. It was 1982 , the year I was offered admission at the then Sokoto University, now Usmanu Dan Fodio University, for my undergraduate studies. My intention was to report to the university and commence registration as scheduled. But that became impossible due to financial difficulties. My late father, Mallam Abdulkadir, who was a school supervisor, didn’t have the money.
“Yet, I was required to pay N1, 200 – at least that was what we understood from the list of fees attached to my offer letter.
“My father called me to his quarters to brainstorm solutions to the problem. I understood that he didn’t have any accounts in the bank, he didn’t do any form of thrift and had no savings anywhere in the world; yet I must pay N1, 200 if I wanted to go to university –my father wanted me to go.
“Thus, he sent me to the chief imam of Bida with a note to ask if he could borrow some money. The imam, may God rest his soul, regretted his inability to render assistance. My father sent me to more friends; still nobody seemed to have the money he was requesting. Finally, he asked me to go to a friend in the garage (the bus station) who used to have a fleet of taxis for long distance travel, but he too didn’t have any he said.
“Eventually, my father sold his car to raise the money. When I protested, he said I shouldn’t worry, that we should learn from the Yorubas ‘they’d do anything to send their children to school’ he said. I still remember the car a Peugeot station-wagon 404, number on the plate was WAC 192.
“Surprisingly, the person who bought the car was the commercial taxi operator who didn’t have any money to lend him.
When I got to Sokoto, I soon realized that only international students were required to pay N1, 200. Local students, myself included, were to pay only N250 for new registration (including feeding and accommodation). But my father wouldn’t have his money back. He told me to use everything for my studies – may Allah rest his soul. He refused to return the money and collect his car back.”
More than two decades later, history repeated itself. Abdulkadir got an offer to study for a PhD at Universiti Putra Malaysia. He had no money. The rector (long dismissed) of his polytechnic wouldn’t give him any. “All efforts to secure assistance from donor agencies, NGOs, local, state and the federal government failed. How I completed my studies in Malaysia is better imagined than described,” he said.
So like his father, he sold his car. But the money wasn’t enough, “so I sold my land in Bida.”
But notwithstanding the example of his father, Abdulkadir hesitated before selling his things, “until I called a colleague who was already in Malaysia. By his side was a man, Abdulaziz Ibrahim, who asked to be given the phone. He said ‘look! You know that I’m older than you, so heed my counsel. I came to Malaysia with nothing and I’m still here. If you wait for everything to be perfect, you’ll never come.’
“I was intrigued. This guy had never met me and he had already concluded that he was older than me. What a man! But more than anything else, his words inspired me and reminded me about the sacrifice of my father. By then I had already deferred the admission twice. I resolved to just plunge in. Now, more than three years after, I’m back home with a PhD.”
Dr. Abdulkadir has the following advice for those contemplating studying abroad. “I believe that whatever Allah SWT has destined to be must be. However, we must sometimes go beyond our comfort zones. We must wait for everything to fall in place. Great things can only be achieved if we don’t run away when we see obstacles. Finally, we must put our fate in God’s hands and do the best we can. All thanks are therefore due to Allah, who in His infinite mercies made it possible for me to successfully complete my studies who has made it possible for me today to be able to tell my story!”