Though 38-year-old Dele Johnson, an indigene of Omu-Aran in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State learnt vulcanizing, fate pushed him towards making beads accessories after he lost his sight. We bring you his inspiring story.

For Johnson, life could be described as cruel. He has seen the bad and the ugly sides and has had to overcome a lot of obstacles in his effort to live a meaningful life. 

Although he was born on October 20th, 1975 with all his sensory organs intact and working, Johnson lost his sight on October 25, 2011 at his vulcanizing workshop in Ilorin, the state capital. He was said to be attending to one of his customers who brought a trailer tyre to help refill with air but in the process the tyre burst in his face. 

Narrating his experience, the victim who said he lost his parents at a tender age said he encountered numerous challenges pursuing primary school without any help. 

“However, I could not go on with the education owing to financial constraints. Therefore I decided to learn vulcanizing when it became very hard to further my education”, he said. 

After spending many years as an apprentice under the tutelage of his boss, it took Johnson three years to raise enough capital to purchase vulcanizing machine and other tools needed to be on his own. 

He narrated further: “I therefore engaged in several menial jobs in order to raise funds to buy equipment to start vulcanising business. It was really tough for me but I was able to get some money to buy what I needed as a professional vulcaniser”. 

Unfortunately, the sad occurrence of October 25 changed his life and abruptly halted the business which put food on his table, as he lost his sight accident. 

On the ill-fated day, he woke up very early with zeal and optimism without the slightest idea of the cruel fate waiting to befall him.

Johnson told Weekly Trust that the incident caused severe injuries to his now stitched face and rendered him blind. 

According to him, he was on admission at University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital for three months, receiving treatment but it took him a long time to realize that his eyes were completely damaged.  

He said, “After the plaster on my eyes was removed, I discovered that I couldn’t see again but nurses at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) kept re-assuring me that I will regain my sight. I was quite sure they knew there was no way I could see again but they didn’t want to destabilise me. 

“As time goes on, I summoned courage and asked a nurse if I could still use the eyes again and she told me that my sight could not be restored. When she told me, I didn’t even know what to say, but I was very sad. 

“However, I began to move on with life while receiving treatment at the hospital but there was a day I will never forget in my life; when I brought out money from my pocket and showed it to someone to tell me how much it was, she told me it was N100. I felt so sad that I had to ask for help from someone because my eyes were no more”. 

Johnson stated further that after the incident, he decided to move on with life before the opportunity of enrolling at a Vocational Training Centre for the blind came. 

He said, “After the incident, I returned home and some people were assisting me, especially in meeting up with my financial demands. Some of my friends usually gave me money but I was uncomfortable with that because I am someone who likes to work and be independent.

“There was a time I thought of committing suicide but I eventually had a rethink as it is in the Bible that whoever kills himself would end up in hell fire. I also thought deeply of who would take care of my wife for me after my death.” 

But the wife could not endure the misery with him as she eventually abandoned him. She said as painful as it was for the loss of his life, he summoned courage to move on with life at the Vocational Training Centre where he graduated after two years. 

At the school of vocation, he was trained on how to make beads of different kinds such as necklace, ear rings, hand chains, rings, key holders, bags, purse, flower vase, and shoes among other things. He was also taught on how to use cane frond to make chairs, tables and baskets. 

Johnson ended up marrying another wife who is also a physically challenged person and they have been living happily.   

He called on public-spirited individuals in the society especially the State Government to assist him. He said he had been to the Government House several times seeking help without making any headway. He said he had been making do with proceeds from sale of his products at the markets or patronages from Churches. 

He said, “To eat sometimes becomes difficult for me and my family because I might have sold all my products and there would be nothing again for us to rely on. Those were frustrating times, especially when I need to buy more raw materials for my work. 

“I believe financial assistance from philanthropic individuals and government would enable me to buy raw materials in order to make enough products for people to see”, he said, stressing that the vocation requires adequate capital in order to make sufficient gain. 

He said his desire is to practise the vocation and engage himself without necessarily depending on anybody to survive.   

“Like I said, I love to be independent and work to provide for myself and the family. I am not the type that would want to capitalize on my disability to now go begging. That is why I always want to discourage people with any disability from begging because I believe in that statement that there is ability in disability”.

Johnson said that it behoves on government at all levels to provide conducive environment for physically challenged people in the society to acquire vocational skills to be self-employed rather than wondering the streets begging.