For Murtala Shuaibu, disability is not an excuse not to live a fulfilled life as he has continued to demonstrate that irrespective of one’s physical challenges, such person can still achieve greatness if s/he is determined.
The 55-year-old visually impaired mechanic, who hails from Agbede, in the Estako West Local Government Area of Edo State, has been fixing cars for over 30 years.
He is popularly known as ‘The blind mechanic’ among many residents of Tugamaji, a community on the Gwagwalada Expressway, Abuja, where his auto workshop is located.
Shuaibu recently described in a viral video how he accurately troubleshoots and fixes a variety of automobiles.
Following the viral video, Shuaibu drawn the attention of newsmen who sought his audience to share his story. The father of two, who resides in Kano State, revealed that he became blind while driving a car in 1996.
He stated that the encouragement he received from people around him boosted his resolve to continue working as a mechanic.
Shuaibu said, “I am a visually impaired mechanic. I am 55 years old and I have two children – a boy and a girl. I started learning this work in 1988 but I went blind in 1996.
“Before then, I was physically ill and sought treatments, some of which I think had side effects that affected my sight. I started to have blurred vision in both eyes. Initially, I thought it would go away but it got worse.
“One day, while I was driving, I lost my sight and could no longer see with both eyes. It was like being in the dark all of a sudden, but I resolved to continue as a mechanic because that was the only source of living that I knew.
“At the initial stage, I was living in regret but people around me encouraged me not to dwell on my disability but continue with my work and there were people who believed in me.
“That was what convinced me to continue working. I became visually impaired before I got married, so I decided it shouldn’t stop me from my life goals.”
To be able to continue the craft, he adjusted to the proficient use of his sense of hearing and touch to repair cars.
In his words, “At first, it was very challenging to repair cars as a visually challenged person. I thought it was impossible for me to fix cars, identify their defective parts and gauge their problems without my sight. In fact, I almost gave up in discouragement, but my persistence and courage kept me going.
“I had no other means of work and rather than become a beggar, I decided to put my mind into adjusting to my new situation. So, I began to train my hands, nose, and ears to make up for my lost sight. I mastered car parts with my hands and attuned my ears to the sound of engines so I could detect when there’s a problem. That is why if I hold a spanner in my hands, I can tell its size and use my hands to chart where I should apply it.
“I also rely on my nose to sense if there is a fault with the cars I work on. After a period of years, my ears became sensitive to figuring out what is wrong with a car and my hands adapted to changing automobile parts with minimal assistance.
“Now, once I listen to the noise of your car, I can tell you its problem whether it is coming from the amber or there is a stabiliser leakage or the nozzle needs to be serviced and fixed. I work on Toyota, Honda, and other some other cars.”
According to Shuaibu, it took regular practice and patience to hone his sensory abilities.
He said “When you bring your vehicle to me, I will ask you to start the engine and then I listen carefully to it. When you rev the engine of a car, and something is wrong with it, if you listen carefully, you will hear some abnormal sounds that will emerge from it. Mechanics know this.
“There are times I ask the person patronising me to open up the bonnet and I will use my hands to decipher or check what I think may be wrong. I can show you what is wrong or mention what you need to buy. If you want to buy the part yourself, that’s fine. I can send someone to help me buy it and fix it for you.
“But to be sincere, sometimes, it is unbelievable how I work on cars and I can easily detect what the owners don’t detect.”
However, despite his determination to transcend the limits of his visual impairment, he still has to contend with certain challenges.
According to him, “There are some people who find it difficult to trust me with their cars because I am blind. They wonder how it is possible for me to figure out what is wrong with their vehicles when I lack the physical sight that they have.
“When I first started, it took much time and effort to convince my clients of my capabilities. Some also try to underpay me or argue with me when I tell them their vehicle’s requirements. Fortunately, I can recognise my clients by their voices and I am well-known within my workshop community.
“Some curious people come around just to watch me as I work. Others bring me their cars and as I do the repairs, they are amazed and recommend me to their friends and colleagues at work.”
On how he is able to navigate Abuja and Kano where his family is, he said he relies on the support of people to travel to be with his family in Kano, a city which is 423 kilometres away from his workshop.
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