How I lost my sight inside exam hall –UNILAG Pol Science graduate, Obalereko

Babatunde Obalereko, 39, a Political Science graduate from the University of Lagos has shared an inspirational story of how he lost his sight but still weathered the storm to make the most of his life.

In an interview with the Punch’s GODFREY GEORGE, Obalereko revealed how he discovered his passion for fixing computers after becoming visually impaired in 1997

He said: 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.

It is heartwarming to note that Babatunde Obalereko has since picked up his life after this sad incident. While he is presently into Computer repairs, the 39-year-old is also married and has a child.

He said: “I thank God. Though we may not have all the money in the world, we keep pushing and striving for the best. I am happy for my lovely family. Despite my condition, I have a wife and a child, and God has not allowed us to go to bed hungry. During the onset of the pandemic, it was really difficult. I didn’t have clients. There was no work to be done. We were simply managing. It was really tough, but I thank God for life.”