My Story

THE INCREDIBLE STORY OF EZURIKE SUNNY OGUEBIE

LLD Faculdade de Direito, Universidade da Nova de Lisboa, Portugal

LLM (Human Rights) The University of Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom
LLB (Hons) University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN)
BL Nigeria Law School, Bwari, Abuja
King’s College, Lagos, Nigeria, West Africa Examination Counsil (WAEC)
Special Education Centre for the Blind, Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria, School
Leaving Certificate (SLC)

The Chief Executive Officer and the Vision Bearer of Redemption International for the Blind is himself visually impaired. Today, he is an international human rights Lawyer with good repute and standing. He was born visually normal, to a polygamous family with very humble background. His late father was a peasant farmer, and had 4 wives with 28 children and not even one had western education. A time came when there was an outbreak of measles within his locality which affected mainly children within his age bracket.
Apparently for lack of medical facilities, all who were affected by the measles outbreak died save him. Although he alone survived, but not without paying the ultimate price of having to loose his sight at age 3. Little did his parents know that he was going to be useful later in life, not only to himself, but also to the society at large. His parents lost hope in him until one good Nigerian brought hope his way, assuring that there could still be some silver lining at the end of the tunnel. His primary education was at Special Education Centre For The Blind, Orlu which was later moved to Umuahia, the present day capital city of Abia State, of Nigeria, (1979/1985). After writing the State Common Entrance, he scored 33 aggregates out of 36 aggregates, thereby emerging the best pupil throughout the old Imo State as it then was. Equally, he did well in the Federal Common Entrance which earned him admission into Nigeria’s premier College, King’s College, Lagos, (1985/1991). From there, he proceeded to Nigeria’s foremost University, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Faculty of Law where he read Law, (1991/1997). Having successfully completed his LLB. Hons. he made it on merit to Nigerian Law School, Bwari, Abuja, (1999/2000), where he was finally called to the Nigeria Bar thereby joining the most noble profession in the World. Having worked for a while for his State Government, he proceeded to the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom for an LLM degree in Human Rights Law, (2008/2009).
Currently, I am a Ph.D student in Faculdade de Direito da universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal, 2016 to 2020. He is happily married to one wife with six children. He has six gospel albums to his credit and he was formally ordained an Evangelist in 2006 by the Church Of God InChrist Mission International (COGIC) as recommended by His Lordship, Bishop I.N. Erimujor of Healing the Nations International. He has served as Music Director to so many churches. Professionally, he worked as a State Council rising from there to a Chief State Council in the Ministry of Justice, Owerri, Imo State of Nigeria from 2002 to 2016.
For a blind person to excel academically in Nigeria and indeed in most third World Countries, there are a number of facilities that should be provided for him. Unfortunately, most of these facilities are highly capital intensive and therefore hardly affordable, for instance, Braille Embosser used to emboss materials in Braille is over 4,500 Euro which was well beyond his reach. Braille display which works on the internet and is equally able to record lectures is over 3000 Euro, again beyond his reach. The unavailability of these materials and many more practically hampered his education. So all through his studies at King’s College and while in the University, he never had any single textbook in Braille, yet he was required to seat for, and write same examinations with his sighted colleagues. Imagine how well he would have performed if he had all relevant texts in Braille?

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