My deformity is a blessing in disguise to me – Juliet Ofodile, 26-year-old Unilag graduate

Only few people can pass through what Juliet Ofodile has experienced in life and still stand strong. The second of six children, the 26-year-old’s formative years were blemished by humiliation and all sorts of ill treatments. 

Apart from constantly being reminded by some family members of her disability and how she could not become anything good in life, children and adults within their Egbeda neighbourhood in Lagos, at the time, also subjected her to emotional and psychological abuse. It was a tough period for the young lady.

A native of Anambra State, the graduate of Estate Management from the University of Lagos was born with a slight deformity. Her left hand is without fingers, denying her of the ability to either hold something with it or perform any other function properly. As a result of this, she relies largely on her right hand to do most basic things for herself. The situation not only made life difficult for her, even at that young stage, but also affected her interactions with people around her. Finding acceptance was as difficult as meandering through a road fitted with spikes.

“Only few people wanted me around them in those early days,” Ofodile told punch correspondent.

“Many would look at my left hand and react in a way that would leave me very sad. It was as if I am a half human being that they cannot stand having around them.

“In fact, apart from children calling me names like puff puff hand, adults, including some family members, peddled different stories about what was responsible for my deformed hand. Some even said that my father used my left hand for rituals and that is why I don’t have fingers on it. They said I would never amount to anything in life no matter how hard I tried. As young as I was then, those words touched me and hardened my resolve to become successful at all cost,” she added.

After completing her primary and secondary school education in 2001 and 2007 respectively, the Ofodile’s quest for higher education received a boost in 2008, when she gained admission to partake in a pre-degree programme at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. But after being told that she could not actualise her dreams of becoming a surgeon at the place as a result of her disability, she soon headed back to Lagos, where after a few tries, she gained admission to the University of Lagos in 2010 to study Estate Management. Though not her preferred choice, Ofodile accepted the offer in good faith, trusting God to make her a shining light in the area of discipline.

“Becoming a surgeon was the dream I always had, up until that point,” the young woman cut in sharply.

“I wanted to help save lives and put smiles on the faces of people, but each time I tried to pursue that goal, people made it difficult for me, saying that I couldn’t be a surgeon because of the condition of my left hand. They’ll tell me that it was not possible for me to function properly without being able to hold certain tools with both hands. I tried so hard but had to later settle for what I was offered by Unilag,” she said.

Upon starting her journey as a student of Estate Management at the institution, the Anambra-born woman realised that the experience was quite different from what she had expected. She had thought that she would find things easy before embarking on the journey but soon realised that it was going to be tougher than she ever expected.

“Before then I had thought that Estate Management would not be a stressful course of study but by the time I started, I realised that the discipline involved a lot of drawing and technical work, which required the use of both hands. Considering my challenge, this became a big challenge for me.

“At that time, nobody in my department knew I had challenge with my left hand because I kept it away from them as a result of the ill treatment I had suffered while growing up.

While others would be drawing and doing classwork with their hands, it was quite difficult for me. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the confidence to express myself freely. It was a very tough period for me, especially as a new student on campus,” Ofodile said.

But after finding a way around those initial challenges, the 26-year-old soon settled properly into her new environment, allowing her passion for success to push her on in the face of different obstacles. Even though she did very well in her academic works and related seamlessly with colleagues on campus, the young woman kept her physical challenge a secret for fear of being emotionally abused. However, after an experience that almost claimed her life in September 2017, the Anambra native changed her style. A new woman had emerged.
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“I finally found my confidence in life after coming face to face with death in 2017,” she began. “One morning, I was going to my place of primary assignment while serving with a real estate firm on the Victoria Island when I found myself in a vehicle operated by human parts dealers.

“Immediately I entered the bus and it moved away from where I was picked, someone grabbed my head, neck, tied my eyes, covered my mouth and pinned me to the floor of the bus. Soon they removed every metal on my body, tied my legs together and wanted to tie my hands when I started crying and pleading with them to have mercy on me, that I had gone through a lot in life.

“The person that appeared to be their boss asked them to remove my blindfold and the piece of cloth that was stuffed in my mouth. He asked what happened to my hand and I said it was how I was born and that I was a corps member going to my place of primary assignment.

“He was quiet, and then, he told me that they would let me go. They cleaned my eyes, gave me my belongings, apologised and dropped me off at a point.

“It was at that moment that I appreciated God for moulding me this way from birth because if it was from an accident, they might not have let me go. And if my hand were complete, It would have been bye-bye to earth.

“I bless God that I was born deformed and regret ever blaming Him for how I was. Even though people always made me feel incomplete, I felt totally complete from that very moment God saved my life.

“I hid my left hand from people for 19 years by either putting it in my pocket or wrapping it with a big handkerchief because I didn’t want people staring at me strangely or taking pity on me. But after that terrifying experience at the hands of those ritualists, God gave me a new confidence,” she said.

Following her new-found confidence and ability to express herself freely wherever she went, Ofodile went on to display her talent as a top model and runway star – a quality she always had but kept hidden for fear of stigma and ill treatment. Apart from partaking in modelling events, the young woman also participated in other social activities that further boosted her confidence and improved her personality. It soon brought dividends.

“I could not hold back my joy when I was announced winner of the 2014 edition of Mr. Chef First Lady Reality Show,” the 26-year-old told Saturday PUNCH.

“I felt very happy to have been crowned winner of that show. I have a very strong confidence in my ability as a woman, who is determined to excel in whatever I set my mind upon. It has empowered me to believe more in myself and in everything that I do.

“I feel it has positive impacts on the lives of people who feel less of themselves because that has been my goal. If I can do it, you can. Beyond the amazing prize I went home with, the biggest plus for me was that the show provided me with the opportunity of using my story to inspire others and impart lives. Many people who have met me since that period have told me how that my confidence and desire to always want to succeed have inspired them to be the best.

“As a result of these positive feedbacks I get, I was inspired to start training people on how to become successful models and beauty queens that can add more value to the society.

“Apart from that, I also run other businesses to keep me going while still waiting for a real office job because I really love to work in the real estate sector. While in school, I learnt a lot, so I would like to impart that knowledge in improving the field of estate management in Nigeria.

“People living with disabilities in Nigeria can add a lot of value to the society if given the opportunity to do so. I had to confront a lot of roadblocks to get to where I am today. There were times I felt like quitting, but the desire to become a success at all cost gave me strength. So, the society must help people with special needs for things to move effectively,” she said.