One, two, three……nine, ten, or more car accidents in a week were beyond the ordinary. Remarks from other drivers and motorcyclists like ‘get off the road old woman’ or ‘go hire a driver’ became more frequent as Christiana Akinrinmade constantly hit other vehicles while driving on the streets of Lagos.
Dr. Akinrinmade didn’t realize she had lost her left eye. “I was never diagnosed as having glaucoma or any eye health issue.
“I have been using glasses for a while, but when the accident became frequent, I called my optician, but he didn’t help the situation. He kept on increasing the capacity of my lenses and after a few weeks, my sight dropped.
“I didn’t tell him again, so I went to the General Hospital, and after series of tests, I was told I had lost my left eye,” she recounted.
It was a disheartening news for her, she wept profusely, but that won’t solve the situation. She was advised to stop driving, an activity she loved.
“I was given some drugs and recommended for surgical operation so that my right eye would not be affected. Unfortunately, the doctors were on strike when I went for my surgery appointment and i was advised to continue to use my drugs and eye drop.
“When I got to the hospital after the doctors resumed the strike, I was told that I had lost my right eye as well, and there was no remedy,” Dr. Akinrinmade shared.
Akinrinmade said, “when I received the news that I had lost my sight, I felt really bad. I thought all hope had gone and that was the end of my life. I thought I would become a liability, useless to myself and to the community. I felt like committing suicide would help to cover up my shame.”
Akinrinmade sought help from different places, she tried to fix her disability but nothing worked.
“I sold properties looking for where to recover my sight. I went to traditional healers, churches, and mosques. I was just traveling from one country to the other within West African countries. I went to Togo in the Republic of Benin, looking for a cure.
“I did rituals thinking I could recover my sight, but it proved abortive. I wanted to travel to India for surgery and I then discovered I had nothing left in my account, it was then it dawned on me there was nothing I could do,” she added.
Between 2010 and 2015, Akinrinmade was looking for help; spiritual, medical, traditional, etc. When she realized she has a life to live rather than being hopeless because of the loss of her sight, she decided to go for rehabilitation.
“In 2015, I enrolled at the Nigerian Society for the Blind, a vocational training center for the visually impaired. That was where I was rehabilitated, reinstated, and restored. It was the best decision I made,” she said.
At the end of her rehabilitation in 2016, she established her organization, Divine Chris Ken Creativity; an innovative craftwork initiative that produces footwear, bags, and belts. She also recycles waste from motor tyres to centre tables, and other accessories using uncommon unique materials including cord rope, nylon rope, fabrics, and textiles.
To help persons with disabilities live a meaningful life, Akinrinmade trains them on different entrepreneurial skills such as: hand-weaving of footwear, bags, and other craft work; in order to empower them and reduce their dependency on others. So far, Akinrinmade has trained more than 500 PWDs
She is also an instructor at the Lagos State Skills Acquisition Center in Mushin, and the co-founder of the African Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Network (AFEWDIN), a foundation promoting inclusiveness, entrepreneurship, and collaboration among Africans with disabilities.
She has also received numerous awards and recognitions such as the Award for Excellence in Entrepreneurship Development from the Lagos State Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment.
To connect PWD entrepreneurs to the market, Akinrinmade is organizing SME day for disabilities on June 29th, 2023, where PWDs who are entrepreneurs will exhibit their products and services.
She appealed for the support of multinationals and corporate organizations to support the event.
“I want philanthropists, corporate organisations, government parastatals and agencies, and private companies to support us.
“We want them to come and look at our products and see how we can improve our products to international standard so that they are suitable for export.
“If we improve on our products, we can be able to contribute to the economy and increase Nigeria’s GDP,” she added.
Dr. Akinrinmade butressed that “the overall goal of the SME for disability day event is to promote the economic empowerment and social inclusion of PWDs in the SME sector by providing them with the necessary tools, resources, and support.
“We hope to foster a vibrant ecosystem where disabled entrepreneurs can thrive, contribute to the economy, and inspire others with their achievements.”