Nigerian Man Who Used to Push Wheel-barrow in the Market Becomes a Respected Professor

• Nicholas Asogwa, a lecturer at UNN, narrates how he rose from poverty to professorship with the help of two customers who sponsored his education
• Asogwa pushed a barrow and mended shoes in the university before Nkechi Ohanuka bought him a JAMB form and Proscovia Ndoboli paid his first school fees
• Asogwa reconnected with his benefactors in 2013 and thanked them and his parents for their support and encouragement

A Nigerian lecturer has shared his remarkable journey from being a barrow pusher and a shoe repairer to becoming a professor of ethics at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).

Nicholas Asogwa, who teaches at the Department of Philosophy, was promoted to a professor on Tuesday, PremiumTimes reported. He narrated his story in a piece titled “My journey to professorship” which he read at an event to mark the elevation.

Asogwa said he was born into a family faced with “abject poverty” which threatened his educational opportunities. He had to push a barrow at the Orie Orba Market in Udenu LGA of Enugu State and mend shoes in one of the female hostels (Bello Hall) in UNN to make ends meet.

He said his life changed when two of his customers, who were UNN students, helped him pursue higher education. One of them, Nkechi Ohanuka, a lawyer from Imo State, bought him a JAMB form to apply for admission into the university. The other, Proscovia Ndoboli, from Uganda, paid his first school fees and put him in the hostel.

“That was how I started. Nkechi bought JAMB form for me, while Proscovia paid my first school fees and put me in the hostel. From there, my parents and I took over, and the struggle continued,” he said.

Asogwa said he lost contact with both women for years until he reconnected with them through Google and Facebook in 2013, shortly before his Ph.D. oral defense.

He expressed his gratitude to them and his parents, who instilled in him the value of education and the belief in hard work and perseverance.

He said he hoped his story would inspire others facing similar challenges and encourage them to never give up on their dreams.

Man who couldn’t read at age 18 becomes Professor, his photos go viral

Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that a young man who refused to give up on his dreams has become the youngest black professor at Cambridge.

As a little kid, Jason Arday was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and global development delay, New York Post reports.

This hampered many of his academic abilities in life and he was unable to read even up to the age of 18.

Source: Legit.ng