Bethesda School wins Bible quiz for blind students

Bethesda School for the Blind has emerged as the winner of the eighth edition of the “You Can Be Their Eyes” Bible Quiz competition organised by the Bible Society of Nigeria, after defeating Pacelli School for the Blind in a tie-breaker.

Both schools finished the competition on 75 points, but Bethesda secured the first position after the tie was broken in its favour at the event held on Thursday at the Salvation Army, Igbobi Corps, Somolu, Lagos.

Federal Government College, Ijanikin Junior School, came third with 40 points, while the senior students of the college placed fourth with 20 points.

The competition brought together students from four schools to test their knowledge of the Bible, with the organisers also using the programme to encourage and support visually impaired students.

The chairman of the occasion, Senior Pastor of Embrace Global Church, Ikorodu, Pastor Isaac Adeyemi, said the participants had demonstrated that physical limitations should not prevent them from discovering and developing their potential.

Adeyemi stated he was impressed by the enthusiasm displayed by the students through their singing and dancing, adding that their conduct had taught him a lesson about finding joy despite life’s challenges.

“I want to say that, without a doubt, you have taught me a lesson this morning. I have learned something from your lives,” he said.

According to him, the theme, “You Can Be My Eyes,” underscored the responsibility of Christians to represent Jesus Christ wherever they find themselves.

He said the biblical account of John in 1 John 1:1-4 demonstrated the importance of witnessing to what one had experienced, adding that everyone could become an instrument through which others encounter Christ.

Adeyemi also urged the organisers to look beyond the Bible quiz by helping the students discover and develop other talents.

“I pray that beyond this quiz programme, the School of the Blind will discover and develop many other things that you can do. There is so much that you can do,” he said.

He further challenged the students to develop a strong sense of vision, stressing that blindness should not be defined only by physical inability to see.

“It is not necessarily the person who cannot see physically that is blind. No. A person who lacks vision is blind,” Adeyemi said.

Referring to the biblical story of Bartimaeus, he said the blind man did not ask Jesus Christ for temporary assistance but requested that his sight be restored.

Adeyemi said the lesson was that people should seek vision, purpose, and direction rather than remain limited by their circumstances.

He commended the Bible Society of Nigeria for sustaining the program to its eighth edition, describing its continued support for visually impaired students as significant.

“I want to thank the Bible Society of Nigeria for taking up this task. I believe that the work you are doing is divinely orchestrated,” he said.

The General Secretary/CEO of the Bible Society of Nigeria, Pastor Samuel Sanusi, noted that the organisation had been able to sustain the programme for eight years through the grace of God.

Sanusi, who was represented by the society’s Assistant General Secretary, Mrs Yemisi Oluwagbemi, encouraged the contestants ahead of the competition, telling them that they were all winners regardless of their eventual positions.

“All of you cannot be first, but you are winners,” he said.

The cleric subsequently called on the government and individuals to increase their support for people living with disabilities, stressing the need for greater attention to their welfare and development.

The participating schools and their scores were: Federal Government College, Ijanikin Senior, 20 points; Federal Government College, Ijanikin Junior, 40 points; Pacelli School for the Blind, 75 points; and Bethesda School for the Blind, 75 points.

Following the tie between Bethesda and Pacelli, Bethesda won the deciding round to claim first place.

As part of the awards, all contestants received school bags and white canes.

Students who placed first, second, and third also received plaques, while first-place students received N50,000 each, second-place students received N35,000 each and third-place students received N25,000 each.

The competition was held under the theme “You Can Be Their Eyes,” with participants drawn from schools serving visually impaired students.

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