CAINE'S Memoirs

 We got a hold of this gifted personality after an enlightening interview on television recently, and we had the chance to feel this amazing gentleman, who has left words on many mouths and a lasting impression in many hearts.

 Despite accomplishing so many feats in a world filled with many obstacles, he still aspires to do more.

 Meet visually-impaired but relentless Solomon Meshack, as he reveals to our correspondents; Emmanuel Amolo, Jejeloye Jacob and Mary Ogar, his challenges, trials and successes in his life.

Background of you?

 Meshack Solomon Ogheneveghor. I am from Delta State, I was born on the 22^nd of December 1984. People don’t really believe my age because of my size and sometimes the way I speak – some say I sound more mature than a 23-year old, but like I said a long time ago, “When hunger beat person e go get sense quick”.

 My story started in 1993 when I lost my father after an accident he didn’t recover from. After my father’s death, according to the “African” custom, his brothers, my uncles, encroached on most of his properties. Not even my mother could comprehend what happened or how it happened.

 I dare say today that the only living property from my father was a piece of land. It is not wrong to comply with the custom of a land but not with ingridents of wickedness. We got to realise later that my father’s properties shouldn’t really have been shared amongst relatives, but among his children – especially when there are male children (There are three of us – I have a younger sister and a younger brother).

 Only few months ago (10^th September 2007) when we went to the village, did we have access to claim some of my father’s belongings – most of which where shoes and boxes which have grown mucous - they were so “old-school-like” and would not fit into today’s fashion.

 All his shares certificates were gone, tangible things were all gone. When I looked through some of those boxes I came across one of my father’s pass books which contained N68,000 in the then Crystal Bank as at 1994.

 Now, Crystal Bank had since transformed into “Standard Trust Bank (STB)”, which had also, due to the bank merger, become United Bank of Africa (UBA). So, there were practically no bases we could claim such amount of money.

What trauma did you experience when your father died?

 I was closest to my father than my mother. I only got so close to my mother after the death of my father. I nursed the ambition of being a mechanical engineer because of my father. I would watch him interestingly take apart his photocopier, fix it together and it would work again in perfect condition.

 I nursed that dream of becoming a mechanical engineer until I was in SSS2, then I couldn’t cope anymore. I had to move to the art class from the sciences. I couldn’t cope anymore.

When did you begin to loose your sight?

 Barely two years after the death of my father.

 I realised I couldn’t read anymore - I was an active reader, I could be described as a bibliophile. I never usually read for academics but for the fun of it. The condition was beginning to affect me in school. At JSS2 my sight was failing seriously and it was affecting me in school.

 I wasn’t going to secondary school because I was brilliant but because we had to cut corners. I actually moved from primary four to secondary school. I couldn’t tell my mother my sight was failing, because of the state we were in.

 My mom was so busy trying to piece the family together; she had just sold of some of her wrappers at the popular “Aswani” market to pay our school fees, and this situation was beginning to occur, so I didn’t want to be an addition to the burden.

 In JSS3, I couldn’t write my Junior WAEC because of my condition I needed help reading the questions before I could answer them. In secondary I went to the science class following my earlier ambition, and then we had to move to a public school because of the fees in a private school and considering our state.

 I began to fail in school, my grades where drastically falling, although not out rightly. My mother thought it was the switching of schools that was the cause so she vowed to send us back to our former school.  Now, in SS1 I had to move to the art class from the sciences, but I still failed in the art class.

 Luckily most of the teachers who knew me as a brilliant student were ready to stick their necks for me, so I was promoted on trial from SS1 to SS2. My mom would not remove the traditional spiritual angle to everything. I still hold one of my uncles responsible for my condition. He came around one day and picked one of my books which I was reading. Afterwards that book got missing and my mom accused my uncle when my father enquired about it.

 When we went to visit him we saw the book and my father asked him how it got there, he replied by saying “is it because of this book that you came here, we would see the eyes that would read it”.

 I don’t want to look at it from that angle, but this is Africa anything could have happened. I could still see colours though but I couldn’t read properly.

 I could move on my own but not until when I had a motor bike accident when I wanted to cross a road. What I did was I listened for someone to cross then I followed, but I never noticed that a motorcycle was approaching.

 But did you eventually visit the hospital?

I did, although after I had visited so many places, Churches, crusades, Shrines, Spiritual centres, herbalist, name it. Wherever people say I could get a cure I visited. I never really travelled because of a cure but because I enjoyed the journeys.

 I visited many places; From Lagos to Ibadan. I could see then but now all I see is just a blurred vision and that is what the medical condition “Glaucoma” is all about. It starts with weakening the nerves in the eyes till the vision is blurred

 My doctor, Dr Daudu, asked us what we had done so far and we told him, then he asked us a question, “Ki l’enyi ba ka? - What are you searching for?” That statement always reminds me of my starting point.

Any time I felt like I should give up I remember a statement “tough times never last but tough people do”. It was the title of a book that was presented to me in school – that was the only thing I could read from that book, the cover page because it was bold.

 Glaucoma could only be slowed down after an operation and there was the high tendency that it would not be a perfect operation.

 I had to move to a vocational training school for the blind, in 2005, even though I never wanted to go because I felt the place was never meant for me.

 There I met a lady weaving a bag and I enquired how she was doing it since we were all blind in the school. She told me and I decide to learn the craft of weaving.

 It was the most difficult task I ever encountered, but I was determined to learn it.

 I started the business with N300. it takes me 48hours to My first six bags I couldn’t sell them. I gave them out.

Does cost of production outweigh profit?

It doesn’t cost much. It only requires more of your energy. I weave 3 bags in a week.

We run a company; my brother and I called Emoezi cr8ions, where we make cards, frames, and weave. We recently decided to help some of my visually impaired friends. I have something they don’t have. They don’t have a business idea. You would find everything I do on the internet. Just type in the key words “Emoezi cr8ions” and something would pop up.

I helped them with their publicity and sometimes through exhibitions and the profit I give back to them.

 Your adventures during your search for a cure?

As I said, I never really travelled for a cure but because I liked the adventure. Till today I always like to be in Agbor. I love the ambience. Anytime I am in Agbor I really feel different. Agbor was where I did my first publicity campaign.

 The Niger-Delta is a place that had so much tension. I remember I alighted from the bus at Urobi junction (a bike park) and I clicked my cane. I could feel it that people were running away from me. And I felt a hostile environment around me. They began to ask me so many questions like; “Na wetin be that?” (Referring to my cane), I told them it was just a cane; they asked again “Na wetin e they do?”, I told them, and even explained it had an electronic version that could speak.

 After answering so many questions I told them about how interesting it is helping a visually-impaired person; how we feel satisfied having people around us - We like to be liked. Obviously they had seen visually-impaired persons, but they haven’t spoken to them.

 When you give a visually-impaired person audience, it gives them so much joy.

 Do you enjoy that audience from your friends?

It has been tremendous! In LASUSOC…Everywhere! When I can’t find it, I make it happen.

 I have a bunch of friends in a Warri bus park that gives me a reserve seat whenever I am in Agbor. I just call them and they give me the time to be there.

 I said in one of my adverts for my exhibition that “Being visually-impaired is not the end of the life…In fact, it is the beginning of a journey into daring the impossibilities…”

Coping in LASUSOC?

 I would prefer to use the cliché “where there is a will, there is a way”. Even as a sighted person, you first determine what you want and what you wish to look like, and if you fail – because of the will – you strive, the will becomes a driving force.

 I have had a lecturer tell me that I was pretending (faking my status), when he saw that I did so well in my exams for a diploma.

 I would say life is a bed of roses if you find a key to unlock a door. It makes everything easy. I operate with many keys, like determination, dedication, commitment and so on.

 I really don’t write notes these days because it is quite tiring. It is not easy either writing with brail, because I never trained with it.

 There is a kind of obstruction when reading a brail. For example, the letter “A” in long hand is written as a dot in brail and some other words like that. I don’t read brail under tension or for exams; if I do I’ll fail very well. I only read it at leisure.

Challenges?

Mine is me. Until I agree with myself to do something, I don’t do it – if I never agree, I never do it.

 When I started this craft, I never believed I could do it, until I restructured my mind before I perfected the skill in a month and two weeks.

 The other challenge I have is trusting people. There is this voice that keeps questioning me when someone offers to help me.

But your friends have been a factor that has helped you so far, don’t you trust them?

I have learnt to trust some of them.

 Many blind people have the same opinion when it comes to trusting people.

For example, a friend of mine and I were trying to cross a road at Yaba sometime last year and someone offered to help us (as we were both blind). Right there my friend’s handset got missing. A scenario as this only makes that voice stronger.

Do you have a girlfriend?

There is no fun in keeping one, is she a wife? I have girlfriends – many of them. But to the question of if I enjoy more favour from ladies, I wouldn’t totally say yes. But females that we know them to be, are emotional beings and most times they are moved and touched on emotional issues. Being visually impaired is one of such issues.

Have you gotten emotionally attached to any of them?

I am emotionally attached to all girls (laughs). I don’t have an official girlfriend, but unofficial girlfriends. I have a fiancée.

In LASUSOC?

Ah! How would I concentrate…She is not in this school.

We don’t seem to ever see you angry?

Whenever I am angry, I keep quite. When I am extremely quite, know that I am angry.

Your greatest wish?

A lecturer of mine once said something which I stand by. He said all he ever wanted in this life was to be happy, and so do I. I don’t want to see; I don’t want to be rich, married nor single – just happy. When I get to a place that is not so welcoming, I try to make it welcoming. Some see me as a comedian but all that makes me happy. It helps me. If having my sight back would make me happy then so be it.