As a young girl, I was always the favourite of my father. He was proud of me, and since I was interested in science, he suggested I should study pharmacology.

One day while I was trying to lite the match to prepare dinner for the family, the matchstick particles entered my left eye, which marked the start of losing my sight. Later, on my way to school, I felt dizzy. My vision was blurred, and my father gave me some herbal medicine and a tin of milk. He felt it must have been stress, not knowing that I would be diagnosed with retinal detachment. After several surgeries and a financial drain, I decided that I was done treating my eyes with surgical knives. I struggled with low self-esteem, my education stopped, my classmates deserted me, and even my immediate cousins watched me from a distance. Everyone pretended it would be all right. While my father blamed my mother, I was taken to several herbal doctors, who made me bathe in the river, eat in the jungle, and drink concoctions, all in a bid to restore my sight and all for nothing.

A friend of my mother advised her to take me to Pacelli school for blind and partially sighted children

in Lagos, Nigeria. There I got the necessary skill training. I could further my education and be integrated back into society. 

After my high school examination, I decided to study Mass communication. During my studies, I realized there were only a few women with disabilities in university. The reasons were that some couldn’t use the computer independently; others were still battling with accepting their disabilities. Not to end up as a frustrated and lonesome blind woman, I decided to participate in every activity. In my second year, I developed a sensitization program for the campus radio. This action built my self-confidence and communication skills. The program aimed to change the mindset about disabilities. 

But the great opportunity came after graduation: In Nigeria, we can opt for a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). Graduates are posted to another state to serve for one year in a social project. I was posted to Zamfara state in Northern Nigeria; twenty-four hours drive by road from my residence. This experience strengthened my mobility skills, gave me the confidence to travel alone, and helped me improve my communication and self-resilience skills. I realized every woman/girl with a disability must be given this opportunity to discover herself.

The path of my life from a sighted young girl to one who wants to create beauty from within and the experience of my mother’s challenges who despite all odds continuously provided me with the support needed, inspired me to make a change. Thus, my organization Eagle’s Voice, will create an avenue for women/girls with disabilities to redefine their status and grow into resilient leaders who do not settle for less.