Physically challenged student sweeps awards

Twenty -five -year-old Allor Precious Wedaga received a standing ovation at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)-Royal Bank 2017 awards for his meritorious academic achievement and also for giving practical meaning to the saying that “Disability is not inability”.

Nobody prompted anyone to stand up; it was spontaneous for the man who dislikes being pitied because according to him, “it limits my abilities and capabilities”.

He was given two mementoes, two certificates and cash awards; first as best Economics Students at the Faculty of Social Sciences as well as the overall best student at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CoHSS) of the KNUST 2017 Awards sponsored by the Royal Bank.

Reason

Wedaga, a physically challenged student scored a Cumulative Weighing Average (CWA) of 82.23 which made him the best Economics Students at the Faculty of Social Sciences and the overall best student at the college for the Royal Bank-CoHSS 2017 Awards.

Both dignitaries present and students who had filled the hall stood for well over five minutes, constantly applauding  Wedaga, a former student of the Navrongo Senior High School, where he was the Senior Prefect and had aggregate 9 in the WASSCE which earned him a place at the KNUST.

Though he had his right arm amputated at the tender age of three under some strange circumstances, he said he had not allowed anything to be a stumbling block in his quest to attaining academic laurels from primary school till date.

Three years ago, Royal Bank donated $50,000 to the CoHSS to award students who excel in the various fields of discipline.

According to the Managing Director of Royal Bank, Mr Asafo-Adjei, who is also an alumnus of the KNUST, the bank had renewed the commitment and would provide another $50,000 for the next three years.

In all, 43 outstanding students from the Faculty of Social Sciences, School of Law and KNUST School of Business were presented with the awards for attaining excellence.

Wedaga, a level 400 Economics students, told The Mirror that his goal “is to be an Economics Professor.”

On his physical condition, he said, it all started when at age three he fell from a tree and broke his arm at Savelugu in the Northern Region of Ghana where he lived with his parents.

He explained that he was taken to a traditional herbalist who started treatment but with time things turned bad, his arm deteriorated, and when they finally got to the hospital, the only option left was to have his right arm amputated.

“It was initially not easy but thanks to my family, especially my mum, Madam Comfort Awemoni of Navrongo School for the Deaf and Dumb,” Wedaga stated.

“She encouraged and supported me to start school and by the grace of God things got better,” he recounted.

Going to school was initially not easy for him as some of his friends who could not comprehend what had occurred distanced themselves from him. 

Others shunned his company but with the passage of time and familiarity, they came around.

Wedaga, who does almost everything for himself with little or no support from others, paid tribute to his elder brother, John Bourokuu, a tutor at Funsi SHS in Wa West, for his tremendous support and encouragement.