EMEKA Abugu, 37, is visually challenged. He lost his sights during childhood to measles, a ravaging disease at the time but has refused to allow his physical disability bring him down.
Abugu who hails from the South-Eastern part of Nigeria and a father of seven is a mechanic who does mechanical repairs without assistance from anyone, a BBC report has revealed.
Abugu has defeated his disability and learnt the art of using tools for mechanical repairs through a little spanner he inherited from his father who used it for bicycle repairs.
“Little by little, I started perfecting the skills; that is how I started fixing things,” Abugu said while narrating his story to BBC Africa.
But he attributes his ingenuity to spirituality saying, “Any hard work that comes to me, I see it first spiritually.”
Abugu said when he has a work to repair; he visualizes how the parts were built in the factory to see if they are still in their rightful positions before he commences his repair.
“I’m familiar with all the tools I work with, I buy the parts myself that is how I charge my clients,” he said.

Like everyman, Abugu has aspirations
In spite of his blindness, he dreams of providing quality education to his seven children.
“My biggest achievement is my family, If God provides enough money for me, I would love to send my kids to school,” he stated.
Besides having a family, Abugu lives in his own house, though uncompleted, he has hopes of completing all structural works needed in the house.
Abugu’s message about measles disease
Blind since childhood, there was no preventive drug for measles in his community at the time of his birth because it was a new disease at the time.
Abugu said he visited the hospital when he was older but was told his eyes have become untreatable.
“Everyone should try and vaccinate their children against measles, so they don’t find themselves in my situation,” Abugu advised.
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"Anyone that cheats me, I leave it to God."
Emeka Abugu says he is the one of the best mechanics in south-eastern Nigeria & that becoming blind as a child was not going to stop him from mastering his skills. 🔧🚗 pic.twitter.com/rAcT5nFiCZ
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) January 14, 2020
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via labolade@icirnigeria.org, on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94