I’ll practice photojournalism till death – Amputee
Weekly Trust: Recently, you had your right leg amputated. What led to that? Rose Onjefu: It was in early 2010 and the leg started itching suddenly. I ended up in a hospital after the pain got too intense. The doctor delivered his diagnosis and I was told my leg had to go, so that’s how […]
Weekly Trust: Recently, you had your right leg amputated. What led to that?
Rose Onjefu: It was in early 2010 and the leg started itching suddenly. I ended up in a hospital after the pain got too intense. The doctor delivered his diagnosis and I was told my leg had to go, so that’s how I found myself in this condition. I’m now 75% dependent on people to move because, as you can see, the amputation is above the knee.
WT: With your present condition, will you abandon your job, photojournalism?
Onjefu: I cannot abandon photojournalism. For me and my profession, it is till death do us part. Any setback I’m facing now is temporary, as I believe that with an artificial limb, I can still be up-and-doing. Photojournalism is an active job. The objects you are chasing are moving ones and so you have to be moving along with them to capture images.
If I am able to get a customized car, it will assist me to move. For now, my car is parked outside but because it is a manual one. For me to move around, I have to get somebody to drive and when the person is not free, then it means I can’t go out.
WT: Why did you choose photojournalism as a profession?
Onjefu: It’s a profession I’m in love with. I actually started it as a hobby and I used it to see myself through College of Education, where I was snapping photos of my mates and they were giving me money, which sustained my program.
When I came out of school, the then Governor of Benue State, late Moses Orshio Adasu, had closed down The Voice newspaper and was to reopen it in 1992. Because I had already had a diploma in photojournalism, I now applied as it was advertised. After the interview I was lucky to have picked up the job and since then I have been practicing the profession and it has taken me to places. I have met people that have affected my life for good and visited places I never dreamt I would. It is a job I am in love with and I am doing it passionately.
Photojournalism is a profession wherein you take a photo, it will tell you more than words can tell you, because all the detail you need to know about an event or person is captured in just one image.
WT: You are a widow. How have you been able to cope with your husband’s absence given your current condition?
Onjefu: My marriage was a happy one for three years before I lost him to the cold hands of death. Since then, I have not remarried and I am still waiting for God’s time and I believe that at the appropriate time, He will send the right man my way.
WT: Have you received assistance after your amputation, to help you continue comfortably with your job?
Onjefu: Not really. I actually need help from anywhere I can get it. Corporate Bodies, government, anyone. I need an artificial limb and customised mobility, too.
WT: You are a member of NAWOJ, NUJ Benue State Council and by extension the National Secretariat. Has any assistance come from these bodies?
Onjefu: Not yet. I’m still waiting and I believe that one day, they will reach me. I communicated with the National Secretariat through the Vice President Zone D, Mrs. Joyce Bur Akulaga and I gather that she has written to intimate them when I was still in the hospital. At a time, the National President, Alhaji Garba Mohammed called me late last year to ask about my condition, but that was it. But individual journalists have been wonderful, encouraging me, rallying round.
WT: The NUJ has launched an insurance scheme for journalists. What do you think about that?
Onjefu: Considering NUJ as a serious body, going into a scheme like that is a welcome development. I even filled the form and it was sent back to Abuja through the Vice President Zone D. I always implore my colleagues to embrace the scheme, as the job is hazardous.