Though with visual impairment, Dr Ifeolu Akintunde is a man of many parts –a lawyer, businessman, singer and keyboardist. In this interview, he says his impairment is not a barrier to attaining excellence and helping others, many of whom are physically able. Excerpts:

Can you tell us briefly about yourself?

I was born in Ibadan, Oyo State. My father is a civil engineer and my mother was a nurse. I was born well with a little bit of sight, but that sight waned gradually. I attended the school for blind people and then, Kings College, both in Lagos. I also went to the University of Lagos where I studied Law and got called to the Bar. Then, I traveled to the United Kingdom for my Master’s degree and m y Doctorate in International Relations. I completed that and started to look for work but that’s a very difficult prospect for a blind person. Statistics show that 60 per cent of people who are blind in the United Kingdom are unemployed but I tried to overcome it. I was saying to myself, “well, you’ve got a Ph.D, you should be able to get a job,” but I didn’t. In the end, you know, God literally walked me through setting up my own company. I eventually had a website and God is really blessing me in this. I believe that, in many ways, my life has been a testimony of God’s provision.

During the Sunday service, you played the keyboard and also sang. How did you manage to learn to play the keyboard?

I learned how to play the keyboard in my primary school. I was actually taught by a blind man who had gone to study at the Royal College of Music in Edinburgh, Scotland. But teaching me how to play the piano was very difficult; teaching a blind person to play the piano is difficult because you have to memorise every song. Of course, we read with our hands and we play with our hands. So, what they will teach you is to read with your right hand and play what you’re reading with your left hand. Then, you read with your left hand and play what you’re reading with your right hand.