Opeyemi Adewale’s childhood dream was becoming a medical doctor. This, she believed, would give her the opportunity to genuinely serve humanity. Besides, being the family’s first of the four children, she wanted to set a good example for the younger ones behind her, by going for such adorable profession and teaching them the benefits of hardwork. Nothing was going to stand between her and the dream. She was resolute! And, being a brilliant child, friends and acquaintances believed the sky would not even pose any limitation, for this highly ambitious girl, but rather serve as the starting point.
Unfortunately, while in her fifth year at the secondary school, tragedy struck! She mysteriously went blind, and the her dreams of hanging the stethoscope around her neck, evaporated!
Opeyemi that had been the cynosure of all eyes in the family and neighbourhood, soon became a nonentity. She was no longer consulted when crucial decisions, including those that would directly affect her, were taken. Her father simply became ‘disinterested’, while it took the mother almost four months to accept her daughter’s ‘changed’ world. Her world was suddenly falling apart!
“When it happened, people prevailed on my mother to seek spiritual help because according to them it was a spiritual problem.
“It’s not like I don’t have a father but then, after I had my visual impairment, he just got disinterested. He didn’t like the fact that I’m blind. He just… should I say disowned me, or he wasn’t just catering to my needs? But, my mum and some key persons were up there,” she stated.
She was later taken to a Rehabilitation School, where she learned to read and write using the Braille system. There she was prepared for school, again, but definitely not to pursue her childhood dream..
It was obvious that becoming a doctor would be herculean for her, especially ‘with the nation’s educational system, which does not provide such ‘luxury’ for the visually impaired, desirous of pursuing such glamorous profession.
She got admitted into the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, to study Law, but because it was just three years since she became blind, her mother refused to release her. Opeyemi later got the opportunity of pursuing a degree in Political Science and International Relations, at the prestigious University of Lagos.
The first year was difficult because she could not afford the appropriate learning gadgets and had to use a typewriter, manual recorder and sometimes, had her classmates read out their notes while she recorded them on her phone to listen and make jottings.
The turning point, for her, however, came through the MTN Scholarship Scheme. Though she was initially skeptical about the Scheme, she later applied and was shortlisted.
From then, her status changed. She became financially equipped to be able to buy her own laptop and a digital recorder, which made life much easier for her. But, one thing that brought much joy to her, she said, remains the fact that she is now in a position to contribute to the family’s upkeep, thereby restoring her lost pride.
“When I became a recipient of the MTN Foundation scholarship, learning became a lot easier. I got specialised learning materials such as a digital recorder and Scanner. I also had a transmitter that could transcribe the recording to word documents or PDF files. It was a massive improvement,” she stated.
When asked how her family reacted to her scholarship, Opeyemi said her mum was elated and constantly encouraged her to be diligent with her studies.
“The MTN scholarship has helped me to uphold the responsibilities that come with being a first born child. No matter how little, I have been able to contribute towards my siblings’ education as well as the extended family. I am still very relevant and I’m glad that they seek my consent before proceeding with important projects. Unlike when I just became blind, when I was easily pushed around,” she said.
Opeyemi proceeded to secure an undergraduate internship position with one of the big four; PriceWaterHouseCoopers (PWC), where she was later offered appointment after her youth service.
The Director, MTN Foundation Mr Dennis Okoro explained that the goal of the Foundation is to support at least one-third of students in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
“We are investing in the lives of tomorrow’s leaders and providing them with an opportunity to pursue their dreams despite financial limitations,” he stated.
Since its inception, over 2,000students from various tertiary institutions across Nigeria, have benefitted from the scheme.