OSN 2015 Okechukwu Memorial Lecture Andrew Gani-Ikilama

ENDINGS ARE BEGINNINGS
ANDREW GANI-IKILAMA
THETHETHETHE OKECHUKWU MEMORIAL LECTUREOKECHUKWU MEMORIAL LECTUREOKECHUKWU MEMORIAL LECTUREOKECHUKWU MEMORIAL LECTURE
AT THE OPHTHALMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NIGERIA (OSN)
ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2015
STEFFAN HOTEL AND SUITES,
JOS, PLATEAU STATE,
NIGERIA.
9AM
THURSDAY 27 AUGUST 2015

OKECHUKWU MEMORIAL LECTURE AT OSN CONFERENCE 2015
ANDREW GANI-IKILAMA
pg 2
“
At this day and age, people have to a large measure come to realize that disability is
not a barrier to individual self fulfilment and that this self fulfilment is achieved
through rehabilitation of the disabled.
”
- President Shehu Shagari
(In his 1980 goodwill message to members of the Federal Nigeria Society for the Blind)
PREAMBLE.
am very grateful to the current leadership of Ophthalmological Society of Nigeria (OSN)
under your President, Professor SNN Nwosu, for giving me the privilege to deliver the
Okechukwu Memorial Lecture this year. I made a few inquiries and found out that this is
one of your most treasured lectures. I repeat, thank you. I salute all you Ophthalmologists
who are working sometimes under great personal sacrifice to keep our eyes healthy. I have
worked on projects with some of you and look forward to doing more together. I am also
grateful for the great professionals I am blessed to work alongside in Knowledge For The
Blind Initiative under the leadership of our Chairperson, Professor Elsie Samaila. God richly
reward you all.
When I asked for the lecture topic, I was virtually given a blank page of paper on which to
write. The only restriction I got was that I should speak on my experience of working with
the blind. After weeks of pondering, the title and outline was delivered to me by Spiritual
Bluetooth. I must confess that I feel very inadequate to give the memorial lecture of a great
man like this, but like rehabilitation, the deed must be done. The day and hour has finally
arrived.
This lecture aims to achieve the following:
1. give insight into my understanding of who we are honouring through this memorial
lecture.
2. share with you from my experience so far working in the field of rehabilitation.
3. help you understand what it is to be totally blind and provide you with lessons you
can apply in your own work as you meet persons who are living with loss of their
sight.
4. call you to take action.
I

ANDREW GANI-IKILAMA
pg 3
LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF DR. TLC OKECHUKWU.
s I read the biography on this great man, certain words jumped off the pages and stuck
in my mind. They are as follows: “Whilst waiting for further studies”, “World famous”,
“Undaunted”, “Duplicated his efforts”, “Worthy of mention”, “Reach the ...both rural and
urban population”, “His progressive philosophy”, “Never turned any patient away”,
“Devotion”, “Commitment”, “Patriotism”, “Great discipline”, “Comportment”, “Dignity”, “He
loved listening to music”, “excellence”. The biography ends in the words “...the work goes
on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die”. Among the over
6,000 books I own are some 33 biographies and I have read each of them. These words
also jump off the pages of those biographies, each account reflecting the same words in
different contexts, just like each person is different, but greatness is greatness.
From the perspective of a Sociologist that I originally am, the words that jumped at me off
the pages of the biography of Dr. TLC Okechukwu epitomize a man of character who stood
for the principles of selfless living, of hands-on involvement in all that he was involved in,
delivering results and impacting on lives wherever he was. He didn’t just wander through
life, but he sought out great institutions through which to build his mind. He then went on to
use the knowledge and experiences to leave an indelible footprint on the sands of time.
From all indications the man lived a very busy life, never sparing himself so long as the
health of the people was the issue. I can safely say he worked his way into Heaven. Little
wonder he is immortalized through this annual lecture series.
Your conference theme this year, Building Partnerships For Eye Care, resonates very
well with the experiences of Dr. TLC Okechukwu. His was a life of nonstop partnerships,
collaborations, networking and delivering results for eye care. His work actually continues.
Like it is with blindness, first comes the shock, then the learning. Before we proceed, may I
invite somebody to take a walk with me please? This is no ordinary walk and you all will do
well to use your well refined power of observation.
A

ANDREW GANI-IKILAMA
pg 4
DADDY CAN’T SEE ME?
t first it was shocking to realize that my father figure couldn’t see me. As an infant I
would stare at him for long periods of time wondering why he wouldn’t open his eyes.
As I grew, I found it strange that he would ask me to describe what I was seeing. That was
my introduction to the world of the blind. The shock didn’t last too long because being that I
was interested in books from an early age. He taught me to read and it was my task to read
him his letters and printed material. He was also an avid news collector. Most Sunday
afternoons after lunch it was time to read. Well, I read and he listened. The strict
disciplinarian that he was, any pronouncement error earned me a tap at a specific place on
the back of my head. The experience of being taught to read by a man who was blind
formed a bond between us that grew over time and also formed my introduction into the
world of public speaking. Our bond did suffer some dip during my teenage years but spiked
up and grew as I entered into manhood.
Dr. Bitrus Gani-Ikilama OON, FNSP (1944 to 2011) was a firm believer in the “Can do” spirit.
After overcoming all odds and graduating as the first blind Nigerian to complete primary,
secondary and tertiary studies, sometime in the early 1980s he identified four types of
reactions to blindness. The four reactions he outlined are:
“Go and beg”.
“I am ashamed of you”.
“It is not my business”.
“I will do something about it”.
Based on his firm belief in the last option as the only way forward, he started the
organization he named Hope For The Blind Foundation. The small organization which
started in his living room grew into a resource centre for rehabilitation of the blind.
Beneficiaries of the rehabilitation services have come from within and outside Nigeria.
I was privileged to serve on the Board of that organization for thirteen years and which
included ten as the Executive Director. Coming from the private sector, I was driven by the
desire to modernise the methodology and set records as we delivered results in the lives of
our clients. We experimented and we set down new ways of rehabilitation and improvement
of quality of life.
But first, what happens when a person goes blind?
A

ANDREW GANI-IKILAMA
pg 5
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN EYESIGHT IS LOST?
n 1961, Thomas Carroll, a pioneer in the rehabilitation of persons who are blind, wrote
about The Twenty Losses of Blindness. That the list has not been added to or subtracted
from speaks to its immortality.
He divided the 20 effects under 6 broad sub themes as follows:
Basic Losses to Psychological Security
1. Loss of physical integrity
2. Loss of confidence in the remaining senses
3. Loss of reality contact with the environment
4. Loss of visual background
5. Loss of light security
Loss in Basic Skills
6. Loss of mobility
7. Loss of techniques of daily living
Loss in Communication
8. Loss of ease of written communication
9. Loss of ease of spoken communication
10. Loss of informational progress
Losses in Appreciation
11. Loss of the visual perception of the pleasurable
12. Loss of visual perception of the beautiful
13. Loss of recreation
Losses Concerning Occupation and Financial Status
14. Loss of career, vocational goal, job opportunity
15. Loss of financial security
Resulting Losses to the Whole Personality
16. Loss of personal independence
17. Loss of social adequacy
18. Loss of obscurity
19. Loss of self-esteem
20. Loss of total personality organization
On the flip side, these 20 items represent some of the 20 blessings you continue to enjoy
simply because you have eyesight.
I

ANDREW GANI-IKILAMA
pg 6
WHAT IS REHABILITATION?
DEFINITIONS
here are many definitions of rehabilitation or rather there are many ways to rehabilitate a
person. The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as “to restore to good health and
useful life”. (Emphasis is mine). Dr W. Aubrey Webson a leading professional in disability
management in the United States says it’s all about empowerment. He says “an
empowered blind person is no different from anyone else – she or he wants to be a
productive member of society”. Of course politicians have their own definition or rather
methods to rehabilitation.
CASE STUDIES.
ome years ago I was privileged to be enrolled onto the Harvard Business School
executive program for a postgraduate certificate in Strategic Management and one
lesson among so many I learnt, is the power of case studies. Here are some very
interesting case studies. The last case study is an own goal because I am still a work in
progress. I leave you to be the judge of them all:
Dr EB. He had progressively lost his eyesight as he grew older. That did not deter his
dream of becoming a medical doctor. He eventually graduated and served and like all
young men looked forward to life. Not too long into the journey of life, he lost his eyesight.
An Ophthalmologist by the name of Dr. Dennis Nkanga told him about the work we were
doing and he picked interest in coming over for rehabilitation. I invited him for a “taster” visit
which he happily came for, along with his girlfriend. They left after some days and I thought
he would enrol that month, but no it took almost a year for him to make the decision to enrol.
They came over from Calabar, did the course together and he graduated. He learnt how to
move around on his own, how to read Braille and use his computer. She learnt how to
relate with a person who is totally blind. He went back to Calabar and two months later
made me cry in joy when he told me he had been employed by the University of Calabar
Teaching Hospital as a counsellor. They have been married for many years now.
Miss JB. She was in her senior secondary science school when she lost her sight to
Glaucoma. You know the normal drill, all the usual suspects of witchcraft, etc were blamed.
Her family after some years remembered that we were all in the same town and brought her
to discuss about what could be done. “J” cried when she heard that nothing short of a
miracle could restore her eyesight. I recall telling her that before the miracle happens she
needs to learn some new things which included learning how to cook. She retorted in anger
that she will “never cook because she didn’t want to burn her hands in addition to losing her
eyes”. I assured her that one day we all would eat a meal cooked by her. Months later she
graduated from our rehab program and enrolled in another senior secondary school. She
graduated top in her class and during her time there was a challenge to truant students who
T
S

ANDREW GANI-IKILAMA
pg 7
wondered how a girl who is blind could top the class, and an inspiration to teachers who
wanted to know her secret for academic success (they were disappointed when they learnt
it’s simply all about using your brain). Before I forget, part of her graduation from our rehab
program included our eating a meal cooked by her. Today she is a graduate of Ahmadu
Bello University and has completed her youth service.
First Amateur Radio Station for the Blind in West Africa. As a child I would occasionally
go visit a neighbour who had a massive antenna on a tall tower outside his house and listen
in on his conversations to other radio users in far off countries I knew only on maps. With
time I dreamt of owning such a powerful piece of equipment but it was only in the context of
working for the blind that I found its real potential for impact. Setting up the first amateur
radio station for the blind in West Africa gave me insight into the power of technology to
change lives of persons who are blind. The technology is all around us but it must be
applied in peculiar ways for it to become an enabler for improvement of quality of life. And
this is the whole essence of rehabilitation. Equipment needs to be adapted and only then
will be it useful to the person who is blind.
Rehabilitation Training for Post Basic Ophthalmic Nurses. A casual conversation with
the head of Post Basic Ophthalmic Nursing program in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching
Hospital helped me identify a need. His students were all studying to be great ophthalmic
nurses but didn’t know what to do for people that medical skills couldn’t help. This led to my
researching and setting up what became a module in the course the post basic nurses were
doing. We trained and graduated 3 sets of nurses (over 50 professionals) on the
“Introductory Course to Rehabilitation of The Blind for Post Basic Ophthalmology Nurses”. It
was fun seeing them sweat, stumble, stand and laugh as they learnt what it is to be a blind
person in the world of the sighted. They always were consoled when I showed them the line
on my left arm. A souvenir from the class I had to take learning how to do batik production
under a blindfold during the project management course I was on many years ago in Ghana.
The nurses all graduated in flying colours.
Mallam M, during the 1990s was a staff of the old electricity company called NEPA and
stationed in Zaria. He is totally blind. I met him working there as the telephone receptionist.
Mohammed knew the city and environs like the back of his hand. He received complaints
and had typed them out to be logged in the despatch book. I once witnessed him giving
directions to a team that had gone out to effect some repairs to a transformer and got lost on
the way. His level of dedication to his work epitomizes that of the average person who has
gone blind. My observations of his experience as a case study confirm what the Dupont
Study (1958 to 1990) says that “Disabled workers are comparable to or better than non-
disabled employees with regard to safety, attendance and job performance”.
Myself. From an early age I learnt what it is to face challenges. I have had my fair share of
failures and success. To me they are all important lessons. While my mates were out
playing I was usually indoors carrying out tasks and assisting my father. As life progressed

ANDREW GANI-IKILAMA
pg 8
the challenges have only increased. I did my first volunteering assignment at Hope For The
Blind in 1986 and was always involved in the organization until 2011. You no doubt will be
wondering why I didn’t continue in that organization. As you know, change has remained
the only constant in life. 2011 was a pivotal year for me. I lost my executive chairman and
father figure and got a spiritual message which I resisted because it was contrary to what I
had been told by my late chairman. I faced the challenge of new things. It was akin to the
experience of a person not born blind progressively losing his eyesight knowing that nothing
will stop the eyes going blind. Nobody will ever like that situation or be willing to accept it.
One minute I knew what I was doing and obeying the instruction to carry on the work and
the next I was screaming out asking “who put out the lights!?!” I wanted to blame the
persons around me who were bent on carrying out their own agenda, but no it was a much
higher reasoning that eventually prevailed and set me on a new path. I received a 1 worded
message ... “relocate”. For many persons who have gone blind, it took a word from a
counsellor, from a spiritual leader, a spouse or trusted person for them to finally come to
terms with reality and do what is needed; to move on in life. Resolution is not a flash of
lightening, but rather a process that leads through rehabilitation to success.
From my personal experience, a message delivered one early morning, two weeks after I
received the spiritual message was what I needed to move me to write and deliver my letter
of resignation from a work I had been involved in for such a long. I had to learn new skills,
learn new environments and make new friends. I maintained my trusted old contacts and
relationships, but like a man newly gone blind, I was cautious as I moved along. The
journey is still a work in progress but I will tell you I am a much fulfilled person. Four years
down the road, I have along with some great Nigerians birthed a business school. I have
also been part of birthing a new work called Knowledge For The Blind Initiative (KFB) and
am awed by the results it is already delivering to the community.
Sometime next year, a government primary school will be receiving a computer laboratory
because of our networking efforts. Our library of Braille books is growing very fast. We are
working on building what will be the most modern rehabilitation school in West Africa in the
near future. And here I am representing KFB at this prestigious conference of
Ophthalmologists who are working hard to protect the eyesight and reverse blindness of
over 170 million people. I don’t envy you at all. That fight is a very tough battle. I salute
you all members of our eye-force. World Health Organization says that “every 5 seconds
one person in our world goes blind, and a child goes blind every minute”. Anecdotal records
claim that the incidence of blindness here in the developing world is acutely higher than in
other world regions. Be consoled that where you “fail”, my success and that of every other
rehabilitation worker starts.

ANDREW GANI-IKILAMA
pg 9
LESSONS FOR ALL.
he worth of an experience are the lessons extracted there from. Sometimes they seep
out on their own. Other times we pull them out violently. Whichever way they are
delivered, they add value to the discerning mind.
Life Is A School. Each day is a lesson in what Dr. Linda Lawrence calls “the laboratory of
life”. Some lessons spill over many days, some months, some a lifetime. Embrace every
lesson and utilise it for your benefit and leave a legacy. Dr. TLC Okechukwu did just that
with less technology than we all have available today, so our excuse level has been reduced
drastically.
Decisions Must Be Made. I have noticed over the years that challenges of life all require
the first immediate reaction ...make a decision. It took a decision for a medical doctor to
metamorphosis into an Ophthalmologist. Dr. TLC Okechukwu did that. No doubt those that
didn’t understand what the new field is all about must have thought his decision ‘not smart’.
But today we all are celebrating that decision that our hero Dr. TLC Okechukwu made.
Teamwork Is Mandatory. A tree cannot make a forest. Where an Ophthalmologist fails to
reverse loss of eyesight, the rehabilitation worker helps the person learn new skills and be a
success in life. Do not be despondent; your limitation only paves the way for another
professional, the rehabilitation worker, to succeed. In other words, your success may
eventually show through the work of another professional. Teamwork helped me to acquire
the license and Trusteeship for the radio station; it also gave the USA Central Kansas
Amateur Radio Club the audacity to support my over 20 year old dream. Teamwork brought
us the technical skills in the person of Engineer Allan Sias who travelled at his expense to
come set up the station and mentor young engineers on how to do it. The project of
installing the radio station gave the 2007 graduating engineering students of ABU the
opportunity of practical skill acquisition on radio antenna technology and installation, an
experience they didn’t have in 5 years of engineering school. Teamwork pays off in more
ways than you can ever plan or know.
On the medical level, it took a rehab organization teaming up with one Consultant
Ophthalmologist in the person of Dr. Linda Lawrence in the USA, to bring together
professionals from USA, Peru, India and Egypt to teach on the International Paediatric Low
Vision Course and Retinopathy of Prematurity Symposium, held in Zaria, March 2008. In
attendance as teachers and learners were ophthalmologists, optometrists, nurses,
educators and related service providers. The faculty for the symposium included
ophthalmologists (a retinal specialist, a retinoblastoma specialist, a paediatric
ophthalmologist, and an ophthalmology resident), a retinal photographer, a developmental
paediatrician, two early interventionists, a special school superintendent, and a special
educator/rehabilitation counsellor specializing in transition services.
T

ANDREW GANI-IKILAMA
pg 10
When I wanted to give back to my primary school, Zaria Children’s School, a conversation
with one of you, Dr. Emmanuel Abah, led to my agreeing that my proposed eye screening
exercise could be a research site too. We set up the team and the children, as well as their
teachers, got free eye checks and science got more data into the body of knowledge.
Knowing that Glaucoma could ‘steal’ eyesight in a flash, my greatest joy was our identifying
some Glaucoma suspects (they constituted 3.7% out of the 327 children); they were referred
to the Ophthalmology Department at ABUTH Shika. Teamwork pays off in more ways
than you can ever know.
Sulking Is Optional. Almost all the persons I have met who lost their eyesight as adults
had gone through periods of resolution before seeking rehabilitation. That period of
resolution has always included periods of sulking and depression. Some had gone to all
sorts of places looking for solutions. For a few who had small light perception left before
their expeditions for solutions, many of them lost that small light perception they had. For
many others, even during the period of rehabilitation, it was an almost nonstop battle against
depression. I discovered graphically that the stronger the spiritual life of the person, the
more they were able to overcome sulking. Being that during those years, I was having a
rough marriage experience and was tempted many times to sulk and did succumb many
times, watching the hope in my rehabilitation clients grow also gave me another reason not
to sulk and grew my belief that good relationships are possible. Proverbs 17 verse 22 says
“A cheerful disposition is good food for your health” and it is true. Choose carefully from
among your many options.
Sighted Partners Preferable. Relationships are a very important aspect of life. One of my
rehabilitation graduates asked to be allowed to come with his then fiancée to get a feel of
the program. I was overjoyed at the request because it showed that there was the
possibility of a support system that would help him go through the program and graduate
into a life of independence and fulfilment. I have mentioned the ending of that student’s
experience somewhere else in this lecture so will not repeat it here. We always encourage
persons who are blind to preferably get involved with a potential spouse who is sighted. The
simple reason being that eyes are still needed in this discriminatory world we all live in. And
having your own pair of personal trusted eyes is important. A few dissenting persons who
are blind have voted with their heart for spouses who are blind and we continue to wish
them well. Build partnerships and be successful.
Technology Provides A Bridge Into New Levels Of Achievement. The world we all live
in doesn’t really care if a person is blind or not. All that matters is the results the person can
deliver towards earning an income. The traditional workshop for the blind focused on
making doormats and carpets from raffia and brooms from palm stalks. The quality of the
finished products was usually inferior and the cost of production never showed up in the
market price of the product, talk less of the person making a profit. After extensive
discussions at the Board level, it was agreed that HOPE needed to test the waters in the

ANDREW GANI-IKILAMA
pg 11
use of technology to teach modern skills. The Perkins Braille machine uses 6 keys to
produce various combinations of dots that make up the Braille text. Furthermore the manual
typewriter keyboard layout called the QWERTY keyboard is the exact same as the computer
keyboard. God bless whoever made that happen. It became fun for us to teach our blind
staff and students how to use the computer and produce Braille texts and type letters that
any of you here could read. Considering that we had only one computer at the beginning,
not counting my Dell laptop of blessed memory, there was sometimes a line of staff mail
waiting to be typed on the computer. Nobody wanted the old manual typewriter anymore.
Eventually we had a computer laboratory of over 10 systems all connected to the internet
and serving the staff and community. Teamwork showed up here too because my friends in
the United States stood up massively for me to make that happen.
Technology also proved a major enabler when we were looking into making my childhood
dream a reality. We found that somebody had developed a speech synthesiser that was
versatile enough to be installed in a radio transceiver. The result is that a person who is
blind can operate and tune the radio independently. You see, the whole essence of having
eyes is that you are very independent, can see things and aspire for them. For the person
who is blind, basic things like finding the toilet in this conference venue would be a
herculean task. When you bring all the technological life enhancing aids like computers and
mobile phones into the picture, the challenge can become life threatening. Anyway, we
found this friend in the United States who knew a person that is blind and had experience in
the subject matter and was happy to guide us. He suggested a particular radio model and
the sponsoring club bought it for me to bring home. Connecting the radio to the antenna
donated by my childhood mentor Mr Harry Boudib 5N9BHA on the tower I saw as a child
created history. Thus, the first amateur radio station for the blind, in West Africa, was
established. The first contact made by Thomas, one of my staff who was totally blind, was
to speak to another person who is blind in Russia. Go to the website link in the references
to get the full story. The impact on Thomas was awesome. He normally walked dragging
his feet, but for many days after that on air contact he walked with a bounce in his steps.
The right technology is a life enhancer.
Rehabilitation Is A Human Right just like it is the right of every person to eat food. The
United Nations between 1983 and 1992 focused on bringing the issue to the front burner.
Consequently many governments including the Federal Government of Nigeria signed
declarations on this issue and put policies on place. Now action needs to be taken to fully
integrate persons who are blind into mainstream activity. The curriculum for most
rehabilitation institutions in Nigeria is not relevant for this millennium. The social structure
needs to upgrade itself to meet up with the challenges of having persons who are blind living
in it. The tone of language we use to write reports on disability, how we provide information
perpetuating dependence rather than independence all needs to be modernised. Of course
on the other hand we remain resolute that persons who are blind need to work on
themselves for quality in their education and living so that they earn the right to be involved
in national life. It will be a win-win situation for every sector of life.

ANDREW GANI-IKILAMA
pg 12
ENDINGS ARE BEGINNINGS.
his is not the end of the Okechukwu Memorial Lecture at OSN 2015 but rather the
beginning of a call to action on your part. The past is past. But for the time you have
sat through this lecture, thousands more have lost their eyesight. I read somewhere that the
world’s population living with disabilities is approximately 1 billion people. They are the
world’s largest minority!
You do not need to leave your prestigious Ophthalmology practice to start a new career in
rehabilitation. But there are some practical steps you can take.
Counsel persons who have lost their eyesight so they know this is the beginning of a
new way of life. Let them know they can return to their trade or craft, if it is safe for
them to do so, otherwise there are many new things they can learn and retain their
dignity.
Do not give false hope or placebos because it causes more damage in the long run.
The damage is sometimes physical but always psychological.
Have a database of rehabilitation centres, schools and institutions handy in your
office. You never know when you will need to contact us.
Support organizations like Knowledge For The Blind Initiative with regular donations
of cash and your time when we need to do eye camps.
Sponsor children who are blind to enrol and stay in school.
Sponsor vocational rehabilitation programs.
Buy equipment and donate to organizations that work with persons who are blind.
Endings AREAREAREARE beginnings.
Thank you for your attention.
May you always find knowledge for productivity and succeed.
God bless Nigeria, God bless OSN. God bless all Ophthalmologists.
Andrew Gani-Ikilama
Executive Director
Knowledge For The Blind Initiative
Kaduna, Nigeria
T

ANDREW GANI-IKILAMA
pg 13
APPENDIX
REFERENCES.
1. Eugene Paterson The Holy Bible, The Message Version 2002 NavPress Publishing.
2. National Policy on Rehabilitation. Published by Federal Government of Nigeria.
3. Aminu Tijjani, David Williams Shehu Shagari My Vision of Nigeria: My Vision of Nigeria
23 March 1981.
4. Andrew Gani-Ikilama 580 Months Experience In The Laboratory Of Life.
5. Karen Wolffe, Linda Lawrence, Andrew Gani-Ikilama. A Multidisciplinary Team
Approach to Training Educational, Rehabilitative and Medical Professionals in Nigeria,
9th International Conference on Low Vision, Vision 2008, Montreal, Quebec, Canada,
July 7 – 11, 2008.
6. Abah E R, Oladigbolu K K, Samaila E, Gani-Ikilama A. Ocular disorders in children in
Zaria Children's School. Nigeria Journal of Clinical Practice 2011; 14:473-6.
7. Michael Eskay, Obidiya Eskay, Emeka Uma. Educating People With Special Needs In
Nigeria: Present and future Perspectives. US – China Education Review B 10 (2012)
898-906.
8. www.centralksarc.com/qsp_pdfs/specialedition2012_07.pdf. (If you can’t download it, I
will happily email a copy to you).
9. Community Eye Health Journal How Eye Workers can Help Newly Blind People Volume
16 No. 45 2003.
10.Debra Perry Practical Approaches for Workplace Integration – What Employers Can Do
To Help and Hire International Labour Office (ILO).
USEFUL CONTACTS.
REHABILITATION SCHOOL, KNOWLEDGE FOR THE BLIND INITIATIVE, Plot 5605 Independence
Way, Kaduna, Nigeria. E: KnowledgeForTheBlind@gmail.com M: 08177007190.
Contact us for services or to support our work.
Nigeria Association of the Blind (NAB). They have offices in every state of the
Federation and the FCT. Visit their website for details of the nearest branch to you.
Joint National Association of Disabled Persons (JONADP). They have offices in
every state of the Federation and the FCT. Sometimes located in the Ministry of Women
Affairs premises.
Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development. They have offices in every state
of the Federation and the FCT. There is also the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and
Social Development in Abuja.

OSN 2015 Okechukwu Memorial Lecture Andrew Gani-Ikilama

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