Simeon Djagbo hails from Ughelli South Local
Government Area in Delta State. His story is
amazing, a perfect reason that no young person
has any excuse for failing in life. He was born
without fingers and palms. Rather than allow the
physical limitation of this congenital deformity to
seize his destiny, he reached deep into himself
and understood the true meaning of the biblical
passage that says, ‘I’m fearfully and wonderfully
made.
From a very young age set about overcoming the
seeming obstacle posed by his not having fingers,
in the process, Djagbo developed ability to do
many things that would even make people with
complete set of fingers green with envy.
His ability to play musical instruments is simply
incredible and leaves you giving thanks to God.
He swims, cooks and writes with his feet. Now
wait for this: he has bagged a degree in Library
and Information Science and is currently
running a Master’s degree programme.
With determination and great courage, Djagbo
has risen above his deformity and is enriching
his life, buoyed by a strong belief that God has a
reason for letting him be born without palms
and fingers. By the time Simeon was almost five
years old, his musical talent had become
noticeable. As he now says, his musical talent is
“a gift to showcase God’s wonders and be a
blessing to others who feel hopeless.”
His guitar artistry has endeared him to the
hearts of countless number of people. One of
Simeon’s fans says he is one of the wonders of
the world. Though he started out as a drummer,
it was one incident in his life that led to his
playing the guitar. He recalls it this way: “My
church brought a man to teach the guitar to
others. I was in the drum section just watching
as he was teaching a lady to play a progression
on a particular song. I watched the way the
lady’s fingers were moving on the strings and I
was capturing it in my head. When she dropped
it, I picked the guitar up and played it exactly
the way she was taught and everybody was
shocked, because I was not taught how to play it.
Although, I was always sneaking to play the
guitar because some concerned people felt I
would injure myself. I kept at it and became
better. I feel God divinely directed me to the
guitar.”
When Simeon was asked whether life has treated
him fairly considering the congenital ‘am
putation’ of his palms and fingers, he wasted no
time to say there is a reason God created him the
way he is. Rather, from the parents, siblings, and
relatives who loved and supported him to the
schoolteachers, classmates, and peers that
inspired him, his gratitude is like the melodic
tune from his guitar.
“My parents never gave up on me and treated
me like a king; they supported me financially and
prayerfully. I wanted to enroll in a primary
school, but the school administrators rejected me
because they felt I could not write. They also felt
that my physical defect would scare off children
from the school. My parents got information
about a school owned by a white woman, St.
Lukes Nursery and Primary School in Warri,
Delta State. From there I moved to Sure Success
College, Warri for my secondary education. I
later gained admission into Delta State Univer
sity, Abraka where I read Library and
Information Science. For the mandatory National
Youths Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, I served in
Okrika Local Government Area, Rivers State and
I am presently running my Masters programme
in the same University,”
After the national service, he remained in Port
Harcourt to seek employment, a quest that led
him to apply to INTELS, a major IT service
provider to oil and gas companies. But it was an
unsuccessful effort. The company didn’t employ
him because of his physical condition.
“I submitted my CV to INTELS in Port Harcourt
through a friend who believed in my ability
despite my challenges, but the Human Resources
Manager who had initially promised to help later
said he doubted my competence because I had no
fingers,” Djagbo says, recalling the pain of that
rejection. But being a person with an unstoppable
spirit, he simply dusted off the disappointment
and continued as if nothing happened.
For anybody tempted to curl into a corner and
sulk because of a disappointment, Djagbo has this
advice: “I want to say the greatest challenge that
a man can have is a handicapped mind and not
physical challenges. I believe that God who
created me like this has a reason and a bigger
and better plan that will take me to an expected
end. Any challenge I face is a process to fire me
up to become a better person in this world. No
one is physically disabled except your mindset is.
And I believe that it does not limit you from
being who you are destined to be in life.
Everyone is born with at least a talent. It is your
duty to discover and make use of it. Like the
Bible says in Proverbs 18:16 ‘A man’s gift maketh
room for him and bringeth him before great
men.’ Trust me, no one has any excuse.”
He counsels that faith is critical in the journey of
life, saying, “The fact that Jesus lives means I can
face tomorrow. I wake up praising Him because
He owns my future, and I know I am a great
child of destiny. I am inspired knowing that I am
a friend of God and that even the angels are
envious of me. God is alive and I see that the
future is so bright for me.
Apart from the fact that many have confessed
that Simeon’s talent has given them a sense of
hope and possibility, he is determined to pursue
his aspirations and get to the next level. “I hope
to become one of the most sought after gospel
bass guitarists both in Nigeria and abroad. I also
want to be a blessing to people and put smiles on
their faces,” he says with so much aplomb.
His dexterity in playing the guitar has taken him
to places he never dreamt of and met different
people, including famous artistes. “I believe the
money will come too,” he says with infectious
confidence.
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