Babatunde Obalereko, 39, a Political Science graduate from the University of Lagos, tells GODFREY GEORGE how he discovered his passion for fixing computers after becoming visually-impaired in 1997
How did you lose your sight?
I lost my sight on the day I was taking my promotion examination in Senior Secondary School One. That was in 1997. When I was given the question paper, I just discovered that I couldn’t read the questions. It looked like the page was blank. I called on the examination master to change the question paper for me and he did. I called on him again to change that one, as it was a plain sheet. He did. On the third call, the people who sat close to me told me that the paper was not blank and there were words on it. I was surprised because my eyes were open and all I could see was a bright white paper, nothing more. I
should be about 15 or 16 years old at the time. Since then, I have not been able to see anything.
Before that time, did you have any issues with your sight?
Yes, I used to be short-sighted. I used to use recommended glasses when I was in school, but I didn’t always use them. I only used them at night when it rained, because of how dark the skies were. Apart from that, I could see anything clearly without the glasses.
After the incident in the examination hall, what happened next?
The principal of the school–Ikorodu Senior High School, Lagos–arranged for me to be taken to an eye clinic around Ikeja. I did the examination orally though. My teachers read the questions to me while I responded to them and the teacher wrote down my answers. It was such a devastating and shocking experience for me…
