٠٠:٠٤:١٩Murtala Abdullahi Shuaibu hasn't stop his deteriorating eyesight prevent him from becoming an expert mechanic and supporting his family, as seen in footage from Abuja and the surrounding areas on Monday.
"I walk by myself here … I pick my tools myself. I do the job myself. If I need assistance, I will call on somebody to assist me," he explained.
The 54-year-old, who has been blind for nearly three decades, first experienced sight issues as a child.
"I was born with eye problems, though it initially affected only one of my eyes. When I was a little child, my parents thought of operating the eye but some people discouraged them. As I grew the eye kept disturbing me, and then my parents thought again about the operation," he continued.
He met his close friend Muhammed Jubril in 1990 and the two have worked together ever since.
"He was my senior colleague," Jubril stated. "I observed him and discovered he had poor eyesight. We were both very young then. We became friends but he eventually completely lost his sight. Since then, he started staying with me. … I always took him around."
Jubril added that while some clients are wary of Shuaibu's condition, it's not hard to convince them of his talents.
"Whenever customers come around they don't want him to work but I insist jobs must be given to him since he's a veteran at fixing automobiles," his friend added.
Shuaibu himself plans to provide training for others with visual impairments, to help them also find steady work - with his own story serving as an inspiration that anything is possible.
Seeing is believing: Blind Nigerian mechanic becomes auto repair expert to support his family in Abuja
Murtala Abdullahi Shuaibu hasn't stop his deteriorating eyesight prevent him from becoming an expert mechanic and supporting his family, as seen in footage from Abuja and the surrounding areas on Monday.
"I walk by myself here … I pick my tools myself. I do the job myself. If I need assistance, I will call on somebody to assist me," he explained.
The 54-year-old, who has been blind for nearly three decades, first experienced sight issues as a child.
"I was born with eye problems, though it initially affected only one of my eyes. When I was a little child, my parents thought of operating the eye but some people discouraged them. As I grew the eye kept disturbing me, and then my parents thought again about the operation," he continued.
He met his close friend Muhammed Jubril in 1990 and the two have worked together ever since.
"He was my senior colleague," Jubril stated. "I observed him and discovered he had poor eyesight. We were both very young then. We became friends but he eventually completely lost his sight. Since then, he started staying with me. … I always took him around."
Jubril added that while some clients are wary of Shuaibu's condition, it's not hard to convince them of his talents.
"Whenever customers come around they don't want him to work but I insist jobs must be given to him since he's a veteran at fixing automobiles," his friend added.
Shuaibu himself plans to provide training for others with visual impairments, to help them also find steady work - with his own story serving as an inspiration that anything is possible.
Murtala Abdullahi Shuaibu hasn't stop his deteriorating eyesight prevent him from becoming an expert mechanic and supporting his family, as seen in footage from Abuja and the surrounding areas on Monday.
"I walk by myself here … I pick my tools myself. I do the job myself. If I need assistance, I will call on somebody to assist me," he explained.
The 54-year-old, who has been blind for nearly three decades, first experienced sight issues as a child.
"I was born with eye problems, though it initially affected only one of my eyes. When I was a little child, my parents thought of operating the eye but some people discouraged them. As I grew the eye kept disturbing me, and then my parents thought again about the operation," he continued.
He met his close friend Muhammed Jubril in 1990 and the two have worked together ever since.
"He was my senior colleague," Jubril stated. "I observed him and discovered he had poor eyesight. We were both very young then. We became friends but he eventually completely lost his sight. Since then, he started staying with me. … I always took him around."
Jubril added that while some clients are wary of Shuaibu's condition, it's not hard to convince them of his talents.
"Whenever customers come around they don't want him to work but I insist jobs must be given to him since he's a veteran at fixing automobiles," his friend added.
Shuaibu himself plans to provide training for others with visual impairments, to help them also find steady work - with his own story serving as an inspiration that anything is possible.