For decades, the colony for the blind popularly known as Koro Afoju in Ilorin, Kwara State has been in existence, becoming a major community over the years, providing shelter for many. Weekly Trust visited.

In Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, Koro Afoju has become a household name as a colony of blind people. Located at Ojagboro area in Ilorin, which has been in existence for decades starting with the migration of the blind into the community, they hail from all areas of the nation, bound by their condition: blindness.

They cohabit, share common history and heritage. Most of them came to the state as infants, grew up, got married one another and began to multiply. Located at Ojagboro/Gambari axis, near the area mainly populated by Hausa-speaking residents, the blind have lived peacefully with their host community.

Though the stories of how they became blind differ, they share a common goal and engage in similar "business" of begging by going outside the community on daily basis to seek alms from passers-by, which they have been doing for years.

It was gathered that some of the beggars were born blind while others lost their sight due to undisclosed afflictions. To them, the law banning street begging is not applicable as they flout it, albeit unconsciously. In the community, they live like their able-bodied counterparts and according to them, they have no cause to regret their condition. They respect one another and even chose traditional chiefs among themselves who look after their affairs and ensure orderliness within the community.

While some of them own houses and apartments, having lived in the community for a long time, others still pay rent where they live.

Despite their condition, they still manage to send their children to primary schools even though it was observed that the children still come back to stay with their parents at designated spots where they gather in groups to collect alms in places like Oja-Oba, Gambari junction, Ojagboro junction, Ipata, Adualere junction, among others while others assisted by their children move around in search of daily bread and return late in the night.

Many residents of Ilorin and its environs usually flock the junctions and designated spots where the beggars converge, to give them food and money.

However, the challenge before the community is the absence of social amenities in the area. Besides, they are prone to diseases because of the congestion in the community where three or four people may live in a small hut.

Speaking with Weekly Trust, the traditional head of the community known as the Sarkin Makafi of Ilorin, Alhaji Muhammadu Thani, narrated that he was very young when he came to Ilorin and since then has been living in the community.

Thani, who hails from Anka Local Government Area of Zamfara State, described his experience in the community where he lived and grew up, as interesting, and adds that they have enjoyed living with the Yorubas within and around the community.

He however said they took to begging as a means of livelihood because they could not find an alternative. He lamented that government at the federal, state and local government levels have not been fair to them and do not always consider them in the scheme of things because of their physical challenge.

The head of the community said they have been in the city for several years and regard themselves as part of Ilorin.

"We are only coping to send our children to primary school because we don’t want them to end up like us but we are always helpless to send them beyond primary schools. No assistance was forthcoming either from government or anywhere." Thani said.

"Besides, we don't have any health facility in this community in case our children fall sick. This is an aspect we would like the government to look into. Our houses, apart from the fact that they cannot contain all of us again, are fast dilapidating. Even as the head of the community, I rented the apartment I am in presently," he lamented.

"If the government says we should stop begging today, we are ready to quit the business, but something has to be provided in return because begging is our only source of livelihood. It has been like that for years immemorial, we have been begging to feed ourselves. It is not our desire to continue to beg but we don’t have other means of feeding ourselves and our family," he added.

Daily Trust correspondent however gathered that apart from sending their children to primary schools in the neighbourhood, some of the children were equally enrolled in several vocations and apprenticeship as automobile mechanics, tailors, among others.

Another member of the community, Yakubu Hassan, who is an indigene of Kano State said, "I have lived in Ilorin for almost 20 years now. I came through my Uncle who is not physically challenged as I am. He lives at Sango, another Hausa community. Though I was living with him before, I later relocated to this community where I can relate with people like me. We thank God that we have been living here for decades without any regret." He however called on the government to remember them in their developmental projects.

A chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State, Senator Gbemisola Rukayyat Saraki recently made case for the blind community when she donated Ramadan gift items worth millions of naira to them. Saraki, who is the first daughter of the late philanthropist and strongman of Kwara politics, Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki said she learnt the act of generosity from her father and urged the well-to-do in the society to always support the less privileged.