The governor’s gesture was a continuation of a state government programme to help the physically challenged in the state, but Tsada’s journey to victory at the polls was not made smooth by the humanitarian gesture behind the encouragement he got to contest the elections. He realises early that he has to work like any other politician to win the people’s vote. He says of his experience: “I found politics to be a herculean task. I have never thought politics to be so difficult before I joined it. Although I have been dealing with people as a teacher, I observed that politics was more challenging than the teaching profession because you cannot satisfy people in politics.”

But his experience as a teacher thought him the virtues of service, patience and humility, virtues which in a way contributed to his success at the polls. Now when he reflects on his ambition he says, “It is an opportunity for me to contribute my quota in the development of humanity. Politics is something that needs patience and courage and I am ready to serve my people under this condition since God has chosen it for me.”

Tsada owes the encouragement he got from the governor to a state government programme to help the physically challenged. The help used to be financial, as is mostly the case in such programmes because the physically challenged make up majority of the destitute population. But it is part of Tsada’s luck that he was inadvertently supported by the governor to pursue a political career probably to further help burnish the appeal of the governor’s assistance to the physically challenged and to give them a voice within the state’s lawmaking process.

Whatever the motives of the nudge he got are, Tsada came well prepared for the job, lending credence to the saying that luck is opportunity meeting preparation. Unlike most physically challenged persons he has a university degree from the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi, ATBU where he graduated with a Bachelor of Technology in Agricultural Science.

Now, as the euphoria of the election victory begins to evaporate he worries about the high expectations people will have of him, especially physically challenged persons. He says: “My victory is a challenge not only to myself, but to all physically challenged persons in the state and beyond. All eyes will now be on me to see whether I can deliver or not. Physically challenged persons will expect good representation from me, those that are not physically challenged will also keep eyes on me to see how if I can handle the seat properly or not.”

He consoles himself with a determination in him to do better for people like him than was ever done for them before. He philosophises: “If a physically fit lawmakers can sympathize with them (physically challenged persons) and enact laws that can improve our lives, why should we (physically challenge persons) fold our arms, after all we have now got the opportunity to improve our lives and that of others. It has now become a challenge to me to improve the lives of handicapped people by making useful laws in the State Assembly. As a lawmaker, I will accord priority to anything that will make their lives and that of their families better.”

Tsada’s political enlightenment came gradually when he was made to know that as a physically challenged person he is not a second class citizen but has the right to vote and be voted for. While this could have galvanized him, there is no downplaying the huge boost he got from the endorsement of the Jigawa State governor to contest the seat. Naturally, he is full of gratitude to the governor for the encouragement. But in a way, this is a right which most physically challenged persons have abandoned due mostly to the feeling of inferiority that follows their condition and the society’s stance of pity directed at them.

The Jigawa State government could well be on the way to reversing that stigma with the election of Tsada into the State House of Assembly. Other initiatives the government had enacted are the appointment of special advisers for the physically challenged in all the 27 local governments of the state. Education has also been made free for them in the state. Tsada’s election seem to be the icing on the cake.

For Tsada it was a compensation by fate for the misfortune he suffered years ago when he realised one day that he couldn’t use his legs any longer. It happened in 2002 when he went to ATBU to collect his final results. He says he started having a funny feeling of general body weakness and he did not give it a second thought that a calamity is lurking around the corner that will befall him. On Friday the 11th of July of that year after he observed his morning prayer and after taking his bath with the intention of going out, he suddenly realised that his legs could not move again and he had to support himself with the walls before he could move out from the room. He called out for help to his friend to come and take him to the hospital and that was when he discovered that he could not move any longer despite that he did not experience any pain whatsoever.

Then, it was a setback for him. But he got over it and moved on with life. Today, that same set back had provided him with the keys into the hallowed chambers of the Jigawa State House of Assembly. Apparently, he has now discovered Allah’s purpose for his life.