Loveydovey in Their Silent World…

Indeed, love knows no bounds; it sees nothing else but that which it wants to see and associate with. This aptly describes the union of Bimbo and Abiodun Oluwa, a deaf and dumb couple who tied the knot some years ago.

The life of this couple can only be compared to that of the mythical Romeo and Juliet who remained inseparable even in death; they have vowed to stick together come rain come shine regardless of the intense persecution from some of their family members who feel they are not ideal for each other.

Like a wedlock solemnised by the gods, the union of Abiodun and Bimbo Oluwa can be described as very strange as coincidence of life is vitally playing on them.

Their love found a formidable front in their disability as the lovebirds are both deaf and dumb.

As you watch them communicate through sign language, you cannot but feel a surge of emotions.

Another strange thing about their situation is that they were both not born deaf and dumb and for both of them, the causal accidents occurred at the same age of 3years old.

In the case of 38-year-old Abiodun Oluwa, he fell from his mother and hit his head on something at the age of three and after then, he became deaf and dumb. All effort to revive his sense of hearing and speech proved abortive.

Bimbo who is now 35 years old had an accident at age three while playing with her mates outside the house. She was rushed to the hospital where she was given an injection. She remained unconscious for two weeks and after regaining consciousness, she could no longer talk, walk or hear. “We had to teach her how to walk again. That was how she became deaf and dumb,” recalled her father.

Although, Abiodun was born into a polygamous and royal family from Olodi-Apapa in Lagos, he was not opportuned to live with his father.

“When I was born, I was taken to my grandmother in Akure Ondo State where I lived till I was about eleven years old. I came to see my father and mother only on holidays except when my mother visited me in Akure. I did not have the opportunity of staying with my father that much,” recalled Abiodun.

“Not too long thereafter,” continued Abiodun, my father became terribly ill and was flown to London for treatment. He was away for over 21 years only for him to come back home and die. He died in 2004.”

Perhaps if Abiodun’s father were alive, he may have been a better person than he is now.

The union has so far been blessed with three lovely children but with only two surviving. Among them is one of a set of twins. One of the twinspassed on when he was just about a month old.

Their surviving children, Babalola, 8, and Taiwo Oluwa, 4, attend Zion Star School in Okeira.

The genesis of Bimbo and Abiodun’s story dates back to 2002 when they met and fell in love. Initially, there were no objections to the affair, and the duo soon became the envy of their peers and family members. However, the husband told Daily Times that their travails started as a result of Bimbo’s stubborn stance against an attempt to lure her into prostitution while in Finland by an elder sister of Abiodun’s. That, they claim, has further pitted them against some members of the Oluwa family. The couple went through so much threats and harassments from Abiodun’s siblings.

Although the apartment in which they stay at Shogunro Estate in Ogba area of Lagos belongs to Abiodun’s late father (now inherited by his mother) there had been serious threats in the past to eject them from the place. However, a level of tranquility has since returned after several interventions by well-meaning people.

Abiodun claimed that his late father who was a retired major bought the flat about 30 years ago from the National Orthopedics Hospital Igbobi. He also claimed that his father owns many landed properties. But he said his mother and siblings were not giving him his share of the estate because of his condition.

Although incapacitated in some ways, Abiodun and his wife preferred to learn vocations to help them earn a living like every normal person instead of resorting to alms begging.

“What I hate the most is to be begging for alms and that is why my wife and I learnt many vocations. My wife is a hairdresser while I have learnt how to repair generators, electrical repairs, fashion designing as well as shoemaking,” scribbled Abiodun.

In spite of all these vocations, Abiodun has not been able to secure a job in years and no assistance seems to be coming their way from any family members because of the strained relationship between his wife Bimbo and his family members.

Recounting their travails, Abiodun said the only antidote to his family’s fury is for Bimbo to walk away from his life forever. “But can the cord of love be easily broken?” asked Abiodun. They have been surviving majorly on whatever the wife brings home from her hair dressing business and whatever he gets from generator or electrical repairs which come in infrequently.

*Published in the Daily Times newspaper dated Tuesday, January 6, 2015