Several events took place last week to mark the Silver Jubilee of Anglo-Nigerian Association for the Blind, operators of the ANWAB Centre for the Blind in Lagos. As Chairman of the organisation from 2007 to 2018, I am in pole position to speak on how far things have gone, both in public and private sectors, in making life easy for blind persons in Nigeria. A lot of noise has been made – advocacy, policies, inaction and noise – as to what needs to be done and how it should be done but we are very far from El Dorado.
But know it – blind persons ain’t waiting and hoping. They have made and continue to make efforts to make use of the technology that can make their lives less burdensome and more enjoyable. And technology has really done a lot to make this possible.
Some friends have always asked me how I became involved with working with and for the blind. Questions like, “Are your parents or relatives blind?” “Do you have any close person that is blind?” “Do you have some form of blindness in your eyes?” have been asked.
The last question is really the answer to all the questions – most of us who have two eyes and can ‘see’ are actually blind because we cannot cope in the conditions a visually impaired person has to operate in. Many people say blind persons have a sixth sense but it is actually more than that. For one, a blind person really needs to accept his condition and then do something about it, in terms of rehabilitation, counseling and education so that he is not disadvantaged in the society.
I used to tell friends that anytime I felt stressed at work or at home, I go to the Centre and just seeing how the so-called blind persons move about and at work or play with all the ability in their disability, brings down my pressure. I always remember ringing the doorbell and one of them opening the door and I will try to sneak in without greeting or saying anything and trying to prank him or her, thinking they don’t know who it was. Next thing I will hear after a short pause is, “Chairman!” Whether it is the weight of my step or my smell or even the breeze that blew in with me, I will never know, but their sense is as sharp as that, even without sight, to know who just came in.
And the way they accept friends is something else – with so much innocence because they are not seeing any slyness or wickedness in your face. They can only judge you from later actions, unlike us with sight who can express displeasure or dislike for someone on first meeting from the facial expressions.
ANWAB Centre for the Blind at 275 Herbert Macaulay Way, Alagomeji, Yaba in Lagos has been running since October 1996, training blind persons to read and write in Braille, and use the computer and the internet, while producing books in Braille for students and teaching blind women/girls how to run homes as part of the independent living programme. The Centre is operated by both sighted and blind staff members, led by the blind lawyer Danlami Basharu, as Executive Director, and they all come from home on their own because they have been trained in orientation and mobility so they can come and go in public transportation like buses, cabs and motorbike without guides.
Things were easier at ANWAB in our early days. But with the recession which got to the Centre earlier than to most people in Nigeria, we had to retrench a couple of staff (blind and sighted) due to lack of funds to pay salaries and to run the Centre. We also had to commenced a three-day working week – staff and students could only now come to ANWAB Centre on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays because we could not afford to run the generator every day. This was also for staff to save on transportation fares which had gone up while their salaries have not been increased, and for some months, payment was late as we strive to raise money from donations, sponsored programmes and books production, all of which had decreased, while we still need to continue to provide essential services and facilities for blind persons throughout Nigeria. Through the services we provide, more blind children and adults have been receiving inclusive education; many are gainfully employed and a lot more are able to enjoy independent life.
My stepping down as Chairman in 2018, to avoid overstaying the mandatory two terms, meant we needed ideas of a new team on the Board and those of us still on the Board have had to provide our experience. The new Board chaired by Barbara Wey, in coping with funding challenges, had to add COVID-19 issues a year after, but as the saying goes, ‘when the going gets tough, the tough gets going’. Ms Wey is a Marketing Executive and a retiree of Lagos State Civil Service and is assisted by Ms Efiom Asuquo, a chartered insurer and retired broadcaster as Vice-Chair. Other members of the ANWAB Board include myself, (immediate past Chairman), Mrs. Jean Obi, MBE, MFR, the first Chairman of the organization; Mr. David Okon, a visually impaired executive of First Bank of Nigeria Plc; Yeye Aderonke Koya, a retired Special Education teacher; Engr. Olugbenga Olabenjo, a COREN Registered Chartered Civil Engineer; and Dr. Mrs. Ayodele Harriman, an Ophthalmologist.
ANWAB is a non-profit, non-governmental registered charitable association. Its main aim is to create an enabling environment that will foster independence of blind people through education and welfare. Serious attention is paid to the interests of all blind people, particularly blind women.
Working actively with friends in the United Kingdom, the Association was founded in 1994 in order to help alleviate the many obstacles facing the blind people of Nigeria. It was first registered as a charity in the UK in December 1994 and registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission in Nigeria in November 1999, with one important objective being the provision of reading materials in Braille or audiotape and training in independent living for all blind persons. The Association’s Centre commenced operations in October 1996.
Through the transcription of textbooks into Braille, ANWAB has enabled many more blind children to go to school and also become gainfully employed. In a study in 2003, it was found that there were 514 blind children integrated in 62 secondary schools in 26 states in the country and Abuja. To date, this number has more than doubled and covers the length and breadth of Nigeria. All these many blind persons desire support of services and facilities from ANWAB. Other services provided at the Centre include Computer training, Internet Café service for the blind using a screen reader, full-service Braille books library, mobility, orientation and typing lessons and continuously giving guidance and counseling to the blind, their parents, governments and the general public. An important aspect of ANWAB’s work is outreach, i.e., reaching out to blind students all over the country to find out their book needs and helping to transcribe and produce such books in Braille for the students. ANWAB also helps to source for computers/laptops for blind students to aid them in their studies and web surfing.
It is thanks to friends, through kind donations, anonymously or otherwise, that the Centre has been able to extend and expand services to the blind throughout our country. It has run projects with UK Lottery, Ford Foundation, Lions Clubs, MTN Foundation, TY Danjuma Foundation, UBEC, National Open University, and other organizations, all directed to providing services that will enable blind persons live inclusive and next-to-normal lives.
It is to some of these supporters and donors that ANWAB gave awards during the Silver Jubilee celebration last week – MTN Nigeria Foundation, Ibitayo Fawehinmi Foundation, Total E&P Nigeria Staff Multipurpose Co-Operative Society Ltd., Guaranty Trust Bank and Ford Foundation in the corporate category; while in the individual category are late Mr. John Bush, MFR (Posthumous) – the pioneer chairman of ANWAB UK; Mrs. Jean Obi, (MBE, MFR) – the first Chairman of ANWAB Nigeria and my predecessor; Mrs. Olufunlola Aderinokun, a Lagos-based legal practitioner and supporter of ANWAB; and Chief Elwyn Williams, who in the UK, has always whipped up support for ANWAB and continues to do so.
The 25th Anniversary Webinar showcased speakers who spoke on different topics associated with the main celebration theme: ‘Giving Vision to the Blind’ and some gave testimonies to how ANWAB helped them on the road to independence as blind persons, and they included Opeolu Akinola, a Visually impaired ICT/Assistive Technology Consultant, Abdul-Azeez Balogun, a visually impaired Aerospace Engineer and Opeyemi Adewale, a visually impaired HR, Training & Development Consultant.
ANWAB Centre for the Blind requires continuous support in order to be actively engaged in the pursuit of advancement of blind persons; its major challenges include payment of rent, monthly salary for both blind and sighted staff, purchase of diesel to run the generator, payment for overheads, including internet access, upgrade of software for computer training, Braille production and maintenance of Braille embossers, laptops, computers and accessories to upgrade facilities and distribute to needy students.
Here is wishing ANWAB Centre for the Blind more years of service to the blind community in Nigeria and beyond. ANWAB – Giving Vision to the Blind!
Ogie is the immediate past Chairman of ANWAB Nigeria.
