…Finally, Radio Nigeria newscaster finds a wife
•I’m the best man a lady could pray to marry, he says

By Job Osazuwa

Whoever finds a wife, finds a good thing, and obtains favour of the Lord, so says the Holy Bible in Proverbs 18: 22.
For 45-year-old Abiodun Solomon Elugbaju, a visually impaired newscaster with Radio Nigeria, this is absolutely true. After many years of searching, Elugbaju on Friday May 12, got married to Kemi, a lady he met 20 years ago in Ogun State while he was in secondary school. They were mere friends then and none of them really envisaged that their friendship could lead to marriage. They were married at the Ikoyi Registry in Lagos, in the presence of their family members and friends.
On August 6 last year, Daily Sun had published a report on Elugbaju. Asked then if there was a woman in his life, he had responded: “Well, it is part of the discrimination we face and that is a big challenge for us. I had a relationship with a lady but disappointment came sometime ago. Presently, there is no woman in my life but I am praying to God to send the right one to me. Once a lady discovers that one is blind, they think there is nothing good that would come from the person. They erroneously believe that every blind man is useless to himself and the society.”
Well, all that is now over now. As early as 5.45am on May 12, this reporter was at the residence of the bridegroom at Shogunle area of Lagos. It was gathered that the celebrant barely slept throughout the night. He was so excited at the prospect of becoming a husband.
He was to be at Ikoyi by 9.00am, and before 7.00am, the happy husband-to-be had pressed his new black suit and polished his shoes. Without being assisted, he donned his wedding suit, smartly tied the bow tie, then he put on a pair of gold sunglasses and a sparkling silver wristwatch. He then hopped into the waiting Sport Utility Vehicle decorated with some ribbons. The bridegroom, in company with relatives and friends, headed for the venue of the wedding. He cracked jokes and danced almost all through the journey from Shogunle to Ikoyi.
Said he: “Those people that said l would not find a wife will now have to bury their heads in shame. They thought l couldn’t find a wife, but God is more than they.”
Before the stipulated time for the wedding, Elugbaju and his well-wishers arrived the marriage registry and began to wait for Kemi and her own supporters. The bride was travelling from Ijebu-Ife, Ogun State, that morning.
At some few minutes past 11.00am, the bride arrived with her relatives. As Kemi, in a white wedding gown, alighted from the car and sighted her would-be husband, a smile escaped from her lips. When Elugbaju was informed of her arrival, he became excited. The lovebirds embraced, and they hurried inside the Ikoyi Registry to book a space. He was given the 35th slot. But he pleaded to be considered before some others. His requested was granted and in about 40 minutes later, he and Kemi were called and pronounced husband and wife to the admiration of all guests.
Before that day, his dream to take home a wife had always run into a brickwall as a result of his visual impairment. But Elugbaju never lost hope; he believed that any lady who ran away from him was never ordained by God to be his wife. He kept searching, praying and hoping for luck to shine on him.
Elugbaju told the reporter that his bride was very fortunate that he considered her for marriage.
“Though she is not blind and doesn’t have any impairment, she is very fortunate to have me as her husband. She should be grateful to God because I will be a blessing to her. I mean what I am saying and she will soon begin to thank God for choosing me as her life partner.
“l met her in 1995 when she came to do a special course in my school. Her sister brought her to collect some documents. I told her sister that I would marry Kemi and she jokingly told me to go and see her parents and we all laughed over it. Actually, l later went to her hometown to see her people, not as a suitor anyway because I was just in SS One then. I became a family friend to them. At times, people would tell her that I am her husband to be. She would keep quiet or might be rebuking me in her mind.
“To be sincere, I have had challenges about having a wife. It was either the lady was not interested or the parents would resist the idea of their daughter marrying a blind man. There was a particular lady, who lived in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, but when she introduced me to her sister in Akure, Ondo State, the sister discouraged her, telling her that I would be a problem to her. I also suffered the issue of meeting a lady with the right genotype. As a reporter, I have covered many events that revealed how people went into marriages without knowing their spouses’ genotype and their kids became the victims. I am AS, so l cannot marry any lady whose genotype is AS, no matter the love that exists between us. This is also because I love children so much.
“Last December, I told myself that I must get married in 2016. I was just scrolling through my phone and I saw Kemi’s number and I called her. She was very excited to hear from me again after we had stopped communication for long. And here we are today, as husband and wife,” he said.
Describing his wife, he said he knew he married a very beautiful wife. But he quickly told the reporter that marriage was not all about beauty.
According to him: “I can’t see her but l know she is very beautiful. Remember I was not born blind; so l know what is beautiful.
“l am happy because I have prayed and waited for this day to come. I’m grateful to her family members for accepting me as their son. However, I will say that God did my wife a favour for having me. She is rather fortunate because I am the best a lady will pray to have. By the grace of God, I will take good care of her and treat her like my sister. As long as the Lord lives, she will never regret marrying me.”
Abiola Elu Sanmi, who is an uncle to Elugbaju, described the bridegroom, as a very determined, focused and intelligent person. Having lived with his nephew for some years while the latter was in primary school, he said he knew nothing could stop Elugbaju from becoming successful in life.
“He was not born blind and was very lively while growing up. He went to the North somewhere along the line, and then we lost contact. When he later returned blind, I felt sad when I saw him, but we have maintained close contact.
“We were neither worried nor unconcerned when he was not married all this while. We don’t help a man to choose a bride in our family. And for the fact that he was making attempts on his own, we were sure that he was on top of his game. Before this very lady, he had introduced three other women to me but the relationships didn’t lead to marriage due to one thing or another.
“When he told me of this one, I was very excited. One of my aunts asked me to see the bride. So, I went to see her in Ijebu-Ife.
“I can affirm that she is a nice lady and the family members are in full support of the marriage. They have actually adopted Abiodun as their son for the past 20 years. My prayer is that God will make them friends. When couples are friends, every other issue will be sorted out easily,” Sanmi said.
The bride, Kemi, told the reporter that she was as happy as her husband. She said though Elugbaju was visually impaired, he was gifted and could perform tasks that people with two eyes couldn’t. She also described him as a God-fearing man, who matches his words with action.