In a society where persons with disabilities are often faced with
discrimination, poverty, limited opportunities and social exclusion, some
individuals choose not to remain silent. Instead, they turn their own
experiences into a reason to create change.
Abubakar Musa Usman is one of those individuals.
A content creator, writer, blogger, author and disability advocate,
Abubakar is himself a person living with a disability. Yet, rather than
allowing his own challenges to limit his ambitions, he has chosen to dedicate
much of his energy to creating opportunities for other persons with
disabilities.
Through Next Horizon Foundation for Inclusive Development previously
known as Disability Watch Foundation, Abubakar is working to promote
inclusion, education, digital skills, vocational training, entrepreneurship and
greater independence for persons with disabilities.
What makes his journey particularly remarkable is that he is building
this work while facing many of the same challenges experienced by the people he
seeks to support. With limited resources and funding, he has continued to push
forward, at times using his own personal resources to support activities and
provide digital skills training.
His work caught our attention because of the courage behind it. In an
environment where many people wait for someone else to provide the resources
before taking action, Abubakar chose to begin with what he had. His journey is
not a story of someone who has already achieved everything. It is the story of
someone still struggling, still searching for support, and still refusing to
give up on a vision.
We reached out to Abubakar to understand the person behind the
organization: what inspired him to begin, the challenges he has encountered,
the realities of building a disability-led organization with limited resources,
and his hopes for the future of persons with disabilities in Nigeria.
In this conversation, he speaks openly about his personal journey, the
difficulties of fundraising, the importance of dignity and opportunity, and why
he believes disability should never be allowed to determine a person's future.
Journalist: Abubakar, for people who are hearing about you and your work for
the first time, who are you and what do you do?
Abubakar: I am Abubakar Musa Usman, a content creator, writer, blogger and
social impact advocate and also a person living with a disability, and that
personal experience has greatly influenced the work I do today. Over the years,
I have become deeply interested in using my skills and whatever resources I
have available to create opportunities for people who are often left behind,
especially persons with disabilities. My journey has not been easy, but I
believe that sometimes you don't need to have everything before you start
making a difference.
Journalist: What inspired you to start this journey?
Abubakar: What inspired me was seeing people with disabilities struggling
with poverty, unemployment and dependency. In many communities, people with
disabilities are still seen through the lens of what they cannot do rather than
what they can contribute. I wanted to be part of changing that narrative. I
started with very little, but I decided that if I could help even one person
gain a skill, access education or become more independent, then the effort was
worthwhile.
Journalist: Tell us about your organization, Next Horizon Foundation for
Inclusive Development.
Abubakar: Next Horizon Foundation for Inclusive Development is a
disability-led organization focused on inclusion, empowerment and dignity. Our
goal is to help persons with disabilities move away from dependency and street
begging by creating opportunities through education, digital skills, vocational
training, entrepreneurship and other forms of support.
We don't want people with disabilities to be seen only as
beneficiaries. We want them to become skilled professionals, entrepreneurs,
employees, leaders and contributors to their communities.
Journalist: You started with limited resources. How did you manage to do all
of this?
Abubakar: Honestly, it has been extremely difficult. There were times when I
had to use my personal money to support activities because we didn't have
funding. I have had to start small, improvise and sometimes sacrifice things
that I personally needed so that a project could continue.
One thing I have learned is that lack of funding can slow you down,
but it doesn't necessarily have to stop your vision. We have done things with
very little resources that people might expect to require a lot of money.
Journalist: What has been the biggest challenge you have faced?
Abubakar: Funding is definitely one of the biggest challenges. It is
difficult to convince people to support a young organization when you don't
have a large budget or a long list of international donors behind you.
Another challenge is trust. Some people are afraid to fund
organizations in Nigeria because of concerns about accountability and
transparency. I understand those concerns. That is why I believe organizations
like ours must be willing to document what they do, keep proper records,
provide reports and show donors exactly how their money is being used.
Journalist: Have there been moments when you wanted to give up?
Abubakar: Many times. There have been moments when I asked myself whether I
was doing the right thing, especially when I was struggling to raise money for
something that I believed was important.
But whenever I see someone benefit from something we have done, it
reminds me why I started. Sometimes the progress is very small, but it still
matters. That keeps me going.
Journalist: What do you think people misunderstand about persons with
disabilities?
Abubakar: I think one of the biggest misunderstandings is that disability
automatically means inability. It doesn't. A person may have a disability, but
that person can still have extraordinary talent, intelligence and ambition.
What many people need is not pity. They need opportunity. Give
someone a skill, education, tools or access to a meaningful opportunity, and
you may discover a completely different person.
Journalist: What kind of programs are you currently interested in developing?
Abubakar: We want to expand our skills and entrepreneurship programs,
digital skills training, educational support and scholarship opportunities. We
also want to support small businesses created by persons with disabilities and
create practical pathways for them to earn an income.
Our long-term vision is to have a permanent training and innovation
center where persons with disabilities can come, learn skills, receive
mentorship and develop businesses.
Journalist: What would you say to someone who believes a small donation cannot
make a difference?
Abubakar: I would tell them that small support can create big change when it
is used properly. We have already done things with very limited resources.
Imagine what could happen if more people contributed, even in small amounts.
Sometimes people think they need to give thousands of dollars
before they can make an impact. That isn't always true. A small contribution
can help provide training materials, support someone's education, purchase
equipment or help someone start a small business.
Journalist: What do you want people to remember about your work?
Abubakar: I want people to remember that we started with a simple belief:
disability should not be a sentence to poverty or dependency.
We may not have all the resources today, and we still face many
challenges, but we are building something. We are trying to create a future
where persons with disabilities are not just receiving help but creating
opportunities for themselves and others.
Journalist: Finally, what is your biggest dream for Next Horizon Foundation?
Abubakar: My biggest dream is to see the organization become strong enough
to reach thousands of persons with disabilities across Nigeria and eventually
beyond Nigeria.
I want us to have a permanent center, sustainable programs, strong
partnerships and the resources to support people consistently rather than
occasionally.
I know the journey will take time. I know there will be setbacks.
But I also know that every major organization started somewhere. We have
started from where we are, with what we have, and we will continue moving
forward.
Journalist: If you had one message for potential supporters, what would it be?
Abubakar: Don't wait until we become a big organization before you believe
in us. Support the vision while it is still growing. Give us an opportunity to
prove what we can do with the right resources.
We are not asking people to simply give us money. We are asking
them to invest in the potential of people who deserve a chance to build better
lives.
Journalist: Thank you for speaking with us.
Abubakar: Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share the story.
Sometimes people see an organization and only see the programs, but behind
every program there is a journey, sacrifices, failures, lessons and people who
refuse to give up. That is the story I want people to understand.
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