I had no excuse than to make it – New lawyer who uses a wheelchair shares his story

In a rather competitive environment, a young man struggling with chronic pain has fought back the pain and anguish and sailed through law school.

Yusif Rahman Ababuje, who was called to the bar together with 424 others has been battling with chronic pain in his back since age 17.

He lost the ability to use his legs which resulted in him using a wheelchair till date.

But despite that he persevered.

Recounting his journey, Ababuje said becoming a lawyer had always been his goal since childhood.

“As a young boy I did not have the slightest idea of what being a lawyer meant or what it took to be one. What I could say is that I wanted to be ‘different’ from peers.”

With that in mind, he took the first step aimed at gaining admission to the Ghana School of Law.

In 2013, he applied to the University of Ghana for their post graduate Bachelor of Law programme but failed secure the seat.

The determined young chap made his second attempt in 2015 but was shown the exit again.

Ababuje decided to apply to the Central University College for their post graduate Bachelor of Law programme in 2017.

After completing the programme, he took the Makola entrance exams. He passed.

Ababuje told theghanareport.com that the pass did not come easily.

“After the exams, it came to light that some people had prior knowledge of the essay question as well as the marking scheme. This led to the cancellation and a subsequent re-taking of a supplementary exam.

“For me this was a blessing in disguise. In my case, while I did not know of or sight the marking scheme before the exams, I also failed, in my estimation, to answer the section B in a convincing manner to warrant a pass overall.

“Mercifully, I found the supplementary paper much more easy to deal with, and I was hopeful that I was going to make it. And I did,” Ababuje recounted.

Asked why he did not give up after the two failed attempts, he simply said he had no excuse to let himself down.

It was not an option he could choose.

Getting into law school was not the only problem for Ababuje, as he had to deal with a daily struggle of having to move around the campus in a wheelchair.

“The main campus was not disability friendly, especially for a wheelchair user but I had some wonderful friends who were always willing to help ameliorate my burdens.”

His advice to the youth is to remain focus, diligent, tenacious, prayerful and be willing to sacrifice transient gratification.