By Jude C. Ndukwe
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind…” (Lk 4:18. Good News Bible)
The above Scripture aptly describes the Senator representing Abia Central in the Red Chambers, Senator T.A. Orji who, since his voyage into politics, has not only kept on bringing good news to the poor but has also been proclaiming liberty to the captives and is currently in the ministry of bringing recovery of sight to the blind.
There are many who in their poor state have received not just the good news of life changing empowerment items, but have actually experienced it as many families in the state are comfortably sustaining themselves today with the substantial empowerment items from Senator T.A. Orji.
As if fulfilling that scriptural mandate was not enough, the former Governor has delivered many from the shackles of illiteracy and the chains of ignorance by giving annual scholarships, which has now run for six unbroken years, to indigent students of higher institutions and building classrooms for those in primary and secondary schools just to ensure that nothing stops anyone from schooling at any level.
Seeing that visual impairment of any kind including complete blindness is a menace that has burdened many families and limited their economic activities especially when the breadwinners are the ones affected, Senator T.A. Orji has kept his Free Eye Surgery Iniative going for years in fulfilment of that scriptural mandate to “restore sight to the blind”.
Many of those who are usually affected by blindness hardly have the financial means to correct it even though plenty of such cases can be reversed.
The United Nations estimate that 2.2billion people are affected by one form of visual impairment or the other (including total blindness) out of which 1 bilion cases could either have been prevented or has yet to be addressed.
That is quite staggering!
More worrisome is the fact that about 4.25 million adults who are 40 years and above in Nigeria suffer one form of visual impairment or the other including total blindness. It is even sadder to know that a good number of sufferers have conditions that could be reversed and corrected but do not have the financial capacity to pay for the surgery needed to correct the blindness. Such was the hopelessness and frustration of the victims until Senator T.A. Orji decided to answer the Call to bring “recovery of sight to the blind”.
Since he started his Free Eye Surgery Initiative, many Abians have benefitted and have had their sights restored. At a point, in one of the exercises, about 245 people were treated in one fell swoop and their blindness corrected and reversed. That is quite huge! Senator T.A. Orji has not stopped as many keep enjoying the benefits of his Initiative to have their sights restored. Miracles, indeed, still do happen! And Instruments like Senator T.A. Orji, though scarce, are making themselves readily available for God to use in fully restoring the dignity of the blind.
This is the essence of leadership, it is the reason statesmen seek to serve and not to be served, to touch lives and, ultimately, fulfil the Divine Call.
Papa Ukwu as he is fondly called, is a Senator with visible scorecards and who has set examples for others to follow! Finally, there is hope even for the blind, thanks to Ochendo Global!
