A visually impaired freshman at the University of Lagos, Ogunsua-Dixon Tijesuni, has recounted how she survived a brain tumour, multiple surgeries and years of rehabilitation to emerge as the country’s best matriculating candidate in the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board Equal Opportunity Group for Persons with Disabilities.

Tijesuni, a 100-level Mass Communication student, spoke exclusively with The PUNCH on Monday, after she was recently honoured at the maiden Rite Foods National Academic Excellence Awards, where she was recognised alongside six other outstanding matriculants from the 2025 admission exercise.

The Ondo State-born student scored 288 in the 2025 UTME and recorded an aggregate score of 81.2 per cent to emerge top in the disability category.

She said her ordeal began at the age of 11, when she was diagnosed with a brain tumour while in Junior Secondary School 2.

Tijesuni said, “I was diagnosed with a brain tumour at age 11. At that point, I had lost partial function of my left limb. My parents did not want to disrupt my education, so they asked me to wait until after secondary school before undergoing surgery,” she said.

Tijesuni said her condition worsened in Senior Secondary School 3, when she began to lose her sight gradually.

“While writing my WAEC, I knew I was struggling to read the question paper, but I pushed on. I didn’t think it was blindness. I later wrote JAMB and scored 225 to study Law at the University of Ibadan,” she said.

She added that shortly after the examination, she collapsed at home, prompting urgent medical intervention.

“Not long after writing the examination, I fainted at home, and doctors said the tumour had been there for too long and I needed surgery immediately,” she said.

Recounting the moment she was first diagnosed, Tijesuni described it as the most traumatic phase of her life.

“I was 11 years old when they told my parents I had a brain tumour. I remember looking at the brain scan and seeing the mass. I told the doctor, ‘I am not mad.’ I told my mum the same thing. I kept saying there was nothing wrong with me,” she said.

She added that, despite her initial denial, she was deeply frightened by the diagnosis.

“I was shaking so much because I was actually petrified. My self-esteem dropped a lot because I could no longer participate in sports. I was stumbling, dragging my leg. I was a wreck of myself. That was the life-changing moment,” she said.

Tijesuni recalled that her early symptoms had been persistent migraines and weakness in her limbs, which were initially misunderstood.

“The initial symptoms were headaches – serious migraines. It was what my nurse in the US would describe as migraines that only affect adults. She would ask what I was thinking. I remember using a lot of medications. I noticed weakness in my left arm, and I wasn’t able to use it,” she said.

She underwent brain surgery in January 2018 at the age of 16, by which time her sight had deteriorated significantly.

Before the diagnosis, Tijesuni said she had been actively involved in sports.

“I was captain of the female basketball team in primary school. I also played football, badminton and was learning how to swim. Then my left arm stopped functioning well, and I started walking awkwardly,” she said.

After three years of rehabilitation in Ibadan, she was moved to the Blind Centre in Oshodi, Lagos, where she received training in mobility and independent living.

She also underwent hospitality and broadcasting training before deciding to return to formal education.

“At that point, I decided that I needed to go back to school. So I wrote another WAEC in 2025, sat JAMB again and started processing my admission,” she said.

According to her, doctors believe there is a possibility of regaining her sight, but the required neurological rehabilitation technology is not available in Nigeria.

“My consultant said there is a chance for me to regain my sight, but unfortunately that technology is not available in Nigeria,” she said.

Tijesuni noted that she had always aspired to become a medical doctor or lawyer, but had to adjust her academic path due to her condition.

“I come from a long line of teachers, so there were expectations. I wanted to be a doctor. Later, I wanted to be a lawyer—an advocate really. It’s not that I gave up law, but I had to adjust, and I chose Communication,” she said.

She added that losing her sight changed her outlook on life.

“I didn’t really feel anything losing my sight at first. But years later, I began to say, ‘God, I just want to see again.’ Sometimes I would pick up a book and wonder why I couldn’t just read it myself,” she said.

On how she had been attending to her studies, Tijesuni commended UNILAG for its disability-friendly environment and support system.

“God bless UNILAG. There are ramps in different parts of the school. My classmates and lecturers are very supportive whenever I need assistance,” she said.

She also expressed gratitude to JAMB’s Equal Opportunity Group for providing accessible arrangements for candidates with disabilities.

“Thanks to Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, they started this programme where we are lodged and taken to the examination centre. Each person with a disability was allowed to come with a carer. We wrote the examination at UNILAG using laptops, Braille slates or typewriters,” she said.

Tijesuni described receiving the Rite Foods award as a moment of surprise and validation.

“The day I confirmed I had been selected for the Rite scholarship was a shock. I had never been so honoured in my life,” she said.

She urged government and employers to create more opportunities for persons with disabilities, lamenting what she described as weak welfare and employment structures.

“There is no welfare structure for people living with disabilities in Nigeria. Very rarely do companies employ persons with disabilities. Once you show up with a disability, you are judged as unable to do anything. If there was more support, people would see what we can do because there are many talented persons with disabilities,” she said.