Geoffrey Asadu, a 58-year-old blind legal practitioner in Nigeria, has by his resilience shown that it is possible to be visually impaired and still have a productive life.
According to Asadu, he fell ill and had severe headache as a child but through an injection he received from a medical officer at a health facility, he soon found he had become blind.
Asadu, who became blind since six and despite the odds stuck against him has the distinction of not losing a case in court.
“As the headache continued, I was taken to Akulue Hospital, Nsukka, where I was administered with one drug by one medical doctor, who owned the hospital. I was given an injection by the doctor for three days. On the third morning, I was supposed to go to hospital but I was surprised to discover that I couldn’t see,” Asadu told The Sun.
He continued: “I became totally and automatically blind. I got up that morning but couldn’t see. I groped and started shouting that I wasn’t seeing again. We even went as far as Kano state but all to no avail. My sight couldn’t come back till today.”
Mr. Asadu stated despite the frantic effort of his father including being taken to two other hospitals, he remained visually impaired.
When he confronted the doctor who administered the injection which he believes made him blind, Asadu noted the doctor was “worried and uneasy.”
On his life as a lawyer, the notable law man had no regrets.
“I have not lost any case in court since I started practicing more than 25 years now. I am feeling so much fulfilled. I don’t think there is anything I could have achieved better or more if I was not blind,” he stated.
Asadu, challenged handicapped people to aspire and do more than begging on the street.
“It is not a certificate for them to start begging on the streets and other undignified activities. Let them look into themselves and see what they can do for themselves. They should start small business or any craft, rather than begging,” he counseled.
Asadu is married with seven children, two of whom are now graduates.
