Former President Olusegun Obasanjo revealed that he once suffered a 25 percent hearing loss without realizing it. He made this disclosure in Bauchi on Sunday while paying homage to the Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Suleiman-Adamu.
Obasanjo noted that many individuals worldwide may be unaware of their hearing impairments until they undergo medical evaluations. He recounted an incident abroad where he struggled to hear someone speaking to him, insisting that nothing was wrong with his hearing. After a man requested to check his ears, a clinical analysis confirmed his hearing loss.
“After my result came out, I had to ask the man to also check on my Chief Security Officer, and shockingly enough, he was more deaf than I was,” Obasanjo said.
This personal experience inspired the creation of the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation, which has partnered with Starkey Hearing Foundation to provide ear treatment and hearing aids to thousands of Nigerians. Obasanjo announced plans to inaugurate a distribution program targeting approximately 10,000 indigent individuals in the North-East, beginning in Bauchi State, where 2,000 people will benefit.
The initiative, dubbed the “Sound Intervention Mission: So Nigerians May Hear,” will be implemented under the auspices of the Obasanjo Foundation. He emphasized the need for collective effort to address the security challenges facing the country.
In response, Suleiman-Adamu acknowledged Obasanjo’s visit as a testament to his commitment to the development and progress of all regions in Nigeria.