Lagos — Rasaq Omolade was born a very healthy baby boy, 15 years ago in Alagbole, a suburb of Lagos. Six months after, the mother took him for immunisation against some childhood killer diseases. This supposed extraimmunity care later turned out to be the biggest sore in his life. The injection developed complications that made him unable to walk with the leg. As if that was not enough, the parents were told at the hospital that he had polio which has affected the other. That was how Rasaq lost the ability to use his two legs effectively.

For the15 years that Rasaq has lived on earth, he has done so without using his legs. This disability denied him the opportunity of enjoying the benefits of life like his other siblings. He is the only child of his family who was denied formal education. Rather than take to begging, he chose to develop himself in a vocation. As a young boy, he developed a flair for shoe making. He would mend shoes for neighbours and family. This flair was further enhanced and Rasaq began to fabricate shoes as well. He has no formal training in the art.

All the while, he worked from home. One of his neighbours, Mrs. Bukola Adebisi, who had always been impressed by Rasaq's ingenuity, found him a place somewhere close to a market place. It was a small piece of land littered with refuse. Rasaq saw the place, cleared off the refuse and started his trade there. He saved enough money and erected a wooden structure, which now serves as his cobbling shop. Eventually, the market fee collectors started demanding a fee of N10, 000 per year for using the shop. Having paid the first instalment with a loan he obtained from his father, Rasaq has borne subsequent charges ever since. Today, the young entrepreneur at 15 has four apprentices working under him. His is a story of a cripple that has refused to be disabled. Razaq made the best out of his disability.

The story of Dorcas Ayodele, born to Mr. and Mrs. Kunle Ayodele of Sabo Gari, Kano, is another that has made her a national hero. Described as a much focused young girl by neighours, Dorcas pulled an impulsive stunt that saved her younger brother, Michael, from the death. One day, her mother asked her to take her brother out for fresh air while she prepared food for them. While she was doing that, she heard a sudden noise outside their home. She rushed out and discovered that Dorcas and her brother had been involved in an accident. A car lost control and almost ran over the baby boy. Dorcas ran to grab him out of the road. She flung him off the road just in time to prevent the accident. She was so shocked that for some time after the incident, she couldn't speak to anyone. Her baby brother sustained some injuries because of the force with which she flung him. However, it was negligible compared to what could have resulted from the averted accident.

Dorcas's heroism could be compared to a similar one by a 14year old Khalil Bala. Four years ago, precisely on December 16, 2004, at about 6p.m. in the evening when Khalil was ten, there was a fire explosion in their Kano home. The househelp lit a candle and placed it close to the generator. It caught fire and soon, the whole house was on fire. Seeing what had happened, the house help, Khalil's older sister and Khalil himself, fled the house leaving behind Nasima, their baby sister who was two years old at the time. Soon after they got outside the house, Khalil heard the cry of his kid sister. Then it occurred to him that she was still in the house. Khalil thought it would waste more time if he had to call people to rescue his sister. So, he took it upon himself to undertake the mission. He went back into the burning house, grabbed his sister and pushed her out through a small window somewhere in the house. He also tried to escape through the same window but it was too small for him. Khalil had no choice but to go back to the main entrance where the inferno was most intense. Unfortunately, the smoke was so much that he could hardly see. As he groped about in the thick smoke unable to breathe properly, he fell and lost consciousness.

No one knew what Khalil had done or that he ever got back into the house. When his mother came back from work and saw the house on fire, she checked around for the children and discovered Khalil was nowhere to be found. She asked for him and was told that he must be in the midst of the crowd. They searched for him but couldn't find him. Her instinct told her he was in the burning building. She mustered enough courage to go into the building. Her vision was blurred because of the smoke, so she called out for him but got no response. Just as she was about leaving, it occurred to her that she should use her hands to feel around the floor. That was when she felt Khalil's head. She lifted him and courageously made her way out of the inferno. By the time she got him out of the house, he was badly burnt already. Neighbours rushed him to International Clinic, a private hospital in Kano, where he was treated for seven months. Khalil was said to have sustained second and third degree burns that extended from his waist line down to his feet on right leg and left thigh. His right ankle, muscles and feet were totally burnt. He was later transferred to Dr. Alhasan Hospital in Kano, where he spent another five months. He showed no appreciable improvement despite efforts by the doctors.

Later on, the management of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), where Khalil's mother worked, got to know about his predicament. They offered a helping hand by offering to sponsor him to India for a better medical attention. That saw Khalil to the Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai, India. He took off in November 2007 and returned in March 2008, spending a total of four months there. While in the hospital, he went through 13 major surgeries that involved skin and muscle grafting under the care of Dr. Punam Bijlani Navare, a Consulting Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon. Khalil's attitude through his ordeal is worthy of note. Dr. Navare was so impressed with Khalil's disposition that he recommended him for an award in his referral letter. This, he said, is in appreciation of his exceptional bravery, the tremendous fortitude and maturity he displayed.

Khalil's heroism, just like what was displayed by Dorcas and the bold step taken by Rasaq, has earned the trio the status of true heroes of Nigeria. They were crowned at an occasion hosted by Dufil Prima Food Nigeria Limited, makers of Indomie noodles at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, on November 26, to mark the end of the first Indomie Heroes Awards.

For the three outstanding kids, being recognised on that day was like achieving the impossible, especially in Nigeria where 86 out of every 1000 children born die at birth, and 138 out of 1000 children die before their fifth birthday.

Sharon Olajidi of United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) noted at the occasion in Abuja that the feat achieved and so recognised by Khalil, Dorcas and Razaq would encourage other children in the country to live above the challenges of being a child in Nigeria.

"Children die daily, from childhood diseases. Many children are physically challenged, forgotten and excluded. There are insufficient special education facilities and comprehensive services provided by the states to meet the peculiar needs of children with severe disabilities. About 70 percent of the five million children born annually in Nigeria are not being registered at birth," Olajidi said in a presentation that shows the sordid state of the Nigerian child.

Managing Director, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Deepak Singhal, who spoke on the essence of the Indomie Heroes Award said, "We seek to eulogise the exemplary accomplishments of children who are young but matured, and have shown extraordinary courage and determination in situations that ordinarily would bring fear, discouragement and selfpity."

For Rasaq, seeing his peers walk around in groups made him feel good, but mounting the stage and being the one with all the attention from national media, paparazzi and shaking hands with a presidential candidate in last election, Professor Patrick Utomi, made him feel taller than any of his peers that he admired. Rasaq had lost his appetite before dinner was served. It took the persistence of a guest for him to eat.

But soon after, he felt a bit relaxed and said to Daily Independent, "Bros (big brother), this is like a dream."

For one, he was flown to Abuja in a flight; he now has a wheel chair courtesy of Dufil Prima and he was lodged in a prestigious hotel alongside his father. And to cap it all, he was sitting on the same stage that Presidents, Ministers and other important dignitaries have stood. Although, the judges had picked him as number three after Khalil and Dorcas, he said it was more than he ever thought he could achieve all his life. He got cash prize of N500, 000, which he said he would use to expand his shoe making business.

Dorcas' father had been into commercial photography for years, but taking pictures of his daughter on the same stage with notable Nigerians, on a day that she is being celebrated nationally, sent shivers of nostalgia down his spine. When the news of Dorcas' selection for Indomie award was broken to the family, there was an inhouse celebration.

"Because I had little money, I sent for malt drinks; asked my wife to prepare rice. Over the meal, we had a special thanksgiving prayer for her and other members of the family," Dorcas's father told Daily Independent. Dorcas got a scholarship worth N750, 000 for being adjudged second. The organisers have promised to put this money into her education.

For Khalil, it was a moment never like before. He was carried shoulderhigh on a raft up to the stage where his citation was read. His younger sister, Nasima joined him on stage. Khalil showed comportment reminiscent of his days at the Mumbai hospital, India, but his emotional sister could not hold back tears as the whole hall was quiet while the exploit that gave him the award was being read out.

At the end of the day, the Director General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Dora Akunyili could only speak of a renewed hope in Nigeria.

"From what I have seen and heard, I am now convinced that the Nigeria of tomorrow will definitely be better than the Nigeria of now. And it has also shown that things are not as bad as they seem in Nigeria. I am hopeful," she said.

An emotional Singhal said to the three outstanding kids, "You have shown us what it means to be fully human because we live in a world in which we are told no one cares. But within us, we are hungry for stories that tell us otherwise, the stories like yours." The award, tagged, Indomie Independence Day Award for Heroes in Nigeria seeks to identify, recognise and celebrate acts of heroism in children. The purpose of the award is to inspire heroism in young Nigerians, acknowledge and encourage children, who, at the great risk of losing their own lives, commit acts of extreme bravery to save life or property of someone else. It will also recognise children who despite having limitations have performed far beyond the ordinary, for they have pushed the limits of courage and performance to a new level.

A total of 24 entries were nominated and screened by a panel of assessors, who later provided a shortlist of 17 nominee, for consideration by a panel of judges, comprising Reuben Abati, Chairman, Editorial Board, Guardian Newspapers, Ben Ayede, Head, Globacom Foundation, Funlola Adewale, MD, UBA Foundation, Prof. Longe, Dean of Students Affairs, University of Lagos, Ambassador Segun Olusola, who was represented by Jimi Olusola, MD, Africa Refugee Foundation, and Lea Jonathan Ichaever of UNICEF. At the end of their judgement process, Khalil, Dorcas and Rasaq were listed as the most outstanding acts from all the entries.

They were so adjudged based on certain criteria, which included demonstration of exceptional courage, leadership, excellence, skills displayed, bearing in mind the degree of risk involved, the determination to conduct the act, the future goals and likely impact on society, and whether it's an inspirational role model for other kids. Dufil Prima has promised to extend its search for exploits in children wider in subsequent awards.

In the face of disturbing indices that put their survival on the edge, these three children, observers insist, deserve to be called the true heroes of contemporary Nigeria. At least, they have shown that vulnerability is not a limitation to survival.