By Dada Ahmed.
(C). BBC.
“The world of blindness or any other realm of physical disability, as an experience, to say the least is traumatic,” so says the one that knows it all and feels it all, Mal.Musa Ali.
Ali,who has been blind for 20 years relates the ordeal of his fate with sober voice.
” Blindness is like a shoe, full of nails worn by the victim who knows it all and feels alone, it while it affects the victim, it infects the abled-bodied as well.
“Miss seeing the beautiful side of life around one is simply imagined than said. It is not an experience I will wish my least enemy, not to talk of the loved ones,” he says with tears running down his cheeks.
Going memory lane, Ali in his 30s, said he became blind while in form three in secondary school in Okene, Kogi State, a difficult challenge he says forced him to abandon his educatuon.
“I was not blind from the cradle,The whole thing started like a child’s play in Okene, kogi state, some years back with fever and I immediately sought medication in one of the private hospitals in my area and I recovered from what I consider as a minor ailment.
“However, a day after my medication,I noticed that my sight was becoming blur and I could hardly see objects clearly anymore.
“I quickly returned to the same hospital to lodge fresh complaints and to seek medication.
” But rather than getting better, my sight deteriorated so fast, this made my parents to take me to various eye centres in Kaduna and Lagos, all to no avail.The rest is now history as I find myself in the present circumstance.
“Painful as it is for me not being able to accomplish tasks without stick or an aid, I have taken my situation in good faith and move on with my life, waiting for God’s miracle.
“Although some people ascribe my condition to spiritual attack, all I can is that, my present predicament is best known to almighty Allah, the one who dictates the course of journey of life of every soul.
“My plan is to enrol at any special school outside my state,soon, obtain a degree in guidance and counselling so that I can counsel others in my shoe to be optimistic in life situation such as mine. I also intend to help them bring out the ability in their disability so that they can contribute meaningful to the development of the society.”
He regrets that he is now a liability not only on his aged parents but the society at large as he is now being assisted by one of his brothers to accomplish basic tasks every blessed day.
“Much painful is the fact that my ambition of going through western educatuon to become a medical doctor has been dashed as a result of my sight disability.”
Aligning with Ali’s feeling, Abdulrasheed Mohammed, (20), a polio victim, who now lives on alms in Lokoja continues,”certainly, being a person with physical disability is a sour taste in the mouth, speaking from experience.
“Indeed, physical challenge, most especially blindness, is not a situation anybody would wish to happen to his or herself the least enemy.
As Ali and Mohammed ruminate over the bitter pill life has forced them to swallow,relations of the two victims of disability believe that their experiences represent a reflection of the stark reality of the life of people with disabilities all over the world.
This category of population,many people argue, carry their cross all alone in the course of navigating life to achieve their aims and objectives but few number of them accomplish the hard task due to many obstacles by the society.
Experts in healthcare system say that Ali and Mohammed’s unfortunate circumstance typifies the fate of 2 billion people with disabilities out of the 7 billion world population, citing the World Health Organization(WHO) record.
WHO notes that “people with physical disabilities are among the most marginalized groups in the world as they have to grapple with poorer health outcomes, lower education achievements, less economic participation and higher rates of poverty than people without disabilities”.
Disability is a world-wide phenomenon that has no boundary and cuts across countries, sex, age, religi
on, race, social status, economic, regions and political positions, according to Mohammed Awaisu Haruna of the
Department of Sociology, Bayero University Kano, according to human rights.gov.au.
The don,who stated this in one of his papers, entitled, “The Problems of Living with Disability in Nigeria,”
estimated that there are more
than 2 billion physically challenged people world-wide,
majority of who are from developing countries such as Nigeria.
He recalled that the Nigeria
National Assembly, in 2013, estimated that the there were
over 20 million people with disabilities in the country of more than 200 million population, a figure revealed by the National Population Commission (NPC).
Haruna believes that this number has
increased with a wide margin, as the United Nations
(UN) reveals that in every ten people in Nigeria population of over 200 million,one person is suffering from one type of disability
or the other.
The world body approximates that the number of people living with disabilities in Nigeria hovers around 25 million with the victims grappling with the stark reality of being physically incapacitated to perform normal daily life activities.
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines physical disability as” Physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that impairs, interferes with,or limits a person’s ability to engage in certain tasks or actions or participates in typical daily activities and interactions”.
Suffice to say that millions of people all over the world are living with one form of disability or the other, an unfortunate circumstance that has become a big cost not only to the victims but the world at large in many respects.
Experts in social development work have been consistent in expressing concern that being associated with physical disability has exposed the victims to limitation in physical functioning, nobility, dexterity or stamina, stereotyping, stigma and discrimination on daily basis.
As if the plight of the people living with disabilities is not enough, the erroneous belief in certain quarters that having disability makes the victims less important, compared to the abled-bodied ones in the society, has compunded the physical incapacity and psychological trauma of this class of population of Nigerians in various dimensions.
Experience shows that PwDs in Kogi State are also not free from discrimination, stigmatisation and other deprivations by the society but many of them believe that there is hope for improved care, especially from the public sector, given the steps taken by state government to include some of them in governance.
The Governor of the state, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, kicked the ball rolling by assenting to law the bill seeking to establish disability office to guarantee and protect the rights of Persons Living with Disabilities
Bello said while the signing of bill to law at the Governnent House,Lokoja that the event was unprecedented and a delibrate effort, by his administration to instill in the PwDs, a sense of belonging and inclusiveness in governance.
He told PwDs that the law would enable them contribute their qouta to the social, economic and political development of the state.
Bello recalled that the state government had also domesticated Disability Discrimination Act.(DDA) to make life bearable for PwDs in the state.
The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) makes it unlawful to discriminate against a person in many areas of public life, including employment, education, getting or using services, renting or buying a house or unit, and accessing public places, because of their disability.
The 1995 (DDA) introduces new laws aimed at ending the discrimination against people with disabilities. It gives the those concerned new rights of access to goods and services, education, employment, transport and accommodation.
On political dispensation,Governor Bello granted automatic nomination to Mr Emmanuel Aduku,to contest electíon for the State House of Assembly electíon in 2023.
Aduku,a polio challenged, will contest the election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress(APC), after putting to vote his decision at the Kogi State APC critical stakeholders’ meeting in Lokoja.
The event, a novel ,attracted loud ovation, especially from PwD members who described the development as historic in the political evolution of the 31-year Kogi State.
PwD members noted that the development was not only a cheering news but an easy way for some of them interested in contesting electíon to go through the hurdle of money politics dominated by the rich with positive story.
The people concerned further note with delight that the action of the governor is a courageous move by his administration to carry them along in the political development of kogi state and enhance its inclusive policy.
Report on the achievement of the Kogi State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in the area of PwDs, as revealed by its Inah, Husseni Isaac,Director, Planning Research and Statistics,shows the picture of visible inclusion of Pwds to make life meaningful for them and instil in them a sense of belonging.
These schemes, he said, include:vocational training,
Blind welfare/visually impaired
Aids and Appliances/other disabilities.
The Ministry, he added, achieved a lot for the PwDs between 2016 and 2021 by training 8 members of its staff of on Mobility Training and Coupling of Mobility aids and appliances Wheelchairs who in turn transferred the knowledge to some PwDs for self reliance and reduce unemployment.
According to him,the ministry is also involved in renovation, renaming and equipping rehabilitation of Resource Centre for the PwDs with Skills Acquisition Materials such as Sewing Machines, Designing Machines, Dryers where PwDs could learn various vocations to earn a living and be employers of labour.
Rehabilitation Resource Centre, Lokoja.
According to the director,the ministry sent staff on training, seminars and capacity building and financial empowerment for People Living with Disabilities (PwDs),accessing and taking their across the three Senatorial districts of the State to know their for effective planning for their welfare.
The ministry, he further disclosed, facilitated and employed psychiatrist nurse to handle cases of people with drug abuse challenges which affect their performance regarding normal daily activities.
The Ministry,Isaac said,secured Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MARDEC,a Lagos- Based Company and NGO in the supply, training and assemblage of mobility aids, to boost the technological- know -how of PwDs for better technical services to the state.
On rehabilitation of PwDs, the director also revealed that the ministry handled a world bank sponsored programme: Agro-Processing Productivity Enhancement, Liveli hood Improvement Supported Project (APPEALS) during which it empowered 102 PwDs in poultry, cassava farming and aqua culture (fishery) to boost the agricultural sector.
The programme covered four clusters:Physical challenged,Deaf and dumb,the blind and those affected by leprosy, according to him.
“The state government in august 2021 released the sum of one million naira to enable PwDs carry out a survey data collection exercise, to ascertain their number in its 21 LGAs and allow them benefit from the programmes of National Commission for Persons with Disabilities.
“The following NGOs, Eye Health Project (Sight savers) and The Leprosy Mission Nigeria are collaborating with the ministry (Rehabilitation Department) to provide good sight and empowerment to PWDs.
“In addition, preventing disabilities, capacity building to people with disabilities (PWDs) so that they can be self-reliance in the society.
“The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in collaboration with the ministry (Rehabilitation Centre) rehabilitates people affected by drugs through a mental health officer and now integrated into the society,” the director also disclosed.
Though, efforts to get state budgetary allocation for PwDs proved abortive, Isaac revealed that between 2017 and 2022,the state government spent N38,231,255 on the renovation, equipping and furnishing of the Rehabilitation Resource Centre for PwDs in Lokoja, the state capital.
While sone members of the public in the state describe the action of the state government as commendable, they note it is not yet uhuru for this class of persons in the state to feel the full sense of belonging in all many ramifications.
One of the practising journalists in Lokoja and a member of PlwDs,Mal.Ishaq Dan-Imam,who expresses delight over some Improvement in the life of some PwDs in the state says there are more rivers to cross by the state government and the private sector to make life much more meaningful.
He called on the state government to formulate an enduring policy by establishing special education for PwDs, to equip them with adequate academic educatuon and practical knowledge to enable them compete favourably with the abled-bodied in the the task of developing.the society.
He also advocated visible budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to enable it address the major problems confronting the implementation of the programmes relating to the welfare of PwDs.
Dan-Imam, who obtained masters degree in Mass Communication, through uncommon determination,said that many PwDs in the state were determine to show their ability in disability but could not do so due to non availability of special school for them to acquire necessary skills and experience.
According to him, this category of people are in dire need of having formal education and able to engage in gainful employment to enable them make livin meaningfully contribute to the society.
He expressed concern that most public and private infrastructure in the state lacked facilities such ram for many of his colleagues to use in transacting business in banks among others.
Dan-Imam, a one-time state chairman,PwDs, called on the state government and non-governmental organizations,(NGOs) to redouble effort in organising seminars/workshops,to check stigmatisation and discrimination against PwDs.
Dan-Imam,who is happily married, expressed concern that despite governnent efforts to include them in governance, many PwDs in Kogi State could not get married to women of their desire.due to stigmatisation and cultural bias.
He accused some parents of posing as stumbling block in the efforts of many PwDs to get married, due to disdain perception accorded them, cultural bias, stigmatization and discrimination,especially by the parents of the male or female members in courtship.
Dan-Imam also expressed concern that many abled-bodied failed to understand that nobody is free from physical disability.
He reminded all that “Physical challenge is like the dreaded HIV-AIDs, if you are not affected, you are infected, therefore,we are all involved in the disability phenomenon.”
“The abled-bodied individuals really need to see us as part of them,more so that we have innate ability in our disability we can use to better the lot of society.
“All we need is positive environment to enable us exihibit our hidden potential for the development of the society.
“When the society gets off our neck, the burden of stigmatisation, disdain treatment and cultural bias,we will think less of psychological trauma put on our shoulders by our fate and concentrate more on how to contribute to nation building,” Dan-Imam, the Kogi State correspondent of Voice of Nigeria (VON) remarked.
The physically challenged Journalist also called on his colleagues in media practise to focus much attention on the issues concerning PwDs in their stories and features so that governnent and the larger society could appreciate their condition and find lasting solution to problems.
He described Journalists as great stakeholders in information management, adding that governnent and members of the private sector of the economy listen to them on some critical issues as those of the PwDs.
Another PwD member, Hajia Aisha Abubakar, reminded the state government and non-governmental organisations(NGOs) on the need not only to take physically challenged to the river alone but teach them to how fish.
“We want a situation whereby if government or NGO trains us on how skills acquisition, they should support us with small capital or soft loan to set up our business, based on the area of our skill.
“This will reduce the number of trained PwDs looking for scarce white-collar jobs and make us to be self reliant,employers of labour, check unemployment and reduce poverty in the state,” she advised.
Abubakar, who disclosed that she lost one of her legs in a motor accident on her way from Ilorin to Lokoja about five years ago, called on the state Ministry of Transportation to instal a facility on road that makes it easy for the physically challenged to cross road with ease, besides zebra crossing.
She also called on drivers and other road users to respect the rights of PwDs to use road as a bonafide members of the society.
In all, it is instructive to note that physical disability is not an exclusive preserve of any person.
Social work analysts describe physical disability is a societal problem demanding the impact of all and sundry in the course of finding lasting solution to the plight of PwDs most of who are are eager to exibit disability in ability, for self actualization and the good of the society.
They, however, urged the Kogi State Governnent to scale up efforts in helping PwDs realise their ambition of belonging to the society with ability to contribute to its development.
Dada Ahmed is a Journalist, blogger, publisher and social commentator.
08032901058.
ahmeddada008@gmail.com.
