Candidates dump us once we vote for them –Physically challenged Nigerians

People living with disabilities are concerned that they have been neglected by politicians. They are not happy that the attitude of the politicians towards them has always been nothing to write home about.

The PWDs said none of the politicians campaigning for elective positions across the country had specific programme for them. Their anger against the elective office seekers grew when they realised that none of the political parties contesting in today’s election and relevant government agencies thought about their mobility to the polling centres to cast their votes.

Mr. Benjamin Akeju, 34, a graduate of Ibadan Polytechnics, hails from Osun State and lives in Abia State where he is engaged in leather and arts works.

Akeju is furious that none of the politicians has considered it necessary to, at least, ask the PWDs how they could be assisted.

The father of one, who spoke with Saturday PUNCH in Umuahia, said, “Politicians are only after our votes, and once they get what they want, they dump us.”

Akeju expressed displeasure over what he called “the insensitivity” of governments at all levels towards the plights of PWDs.

He said, “In oversees, persons with disabilities are given jobs by their governments but here in Nigeria, if you are not connected to any senior government official or a prominent politician, nobody will offer you employment.

“We depend on self efforts to survive here; our political leaders only use us and dump us. When the President’ wife came to Abia, we tried to greet her, but she just waved at us from a distance. Politicians don’t have us in mind.”

The Secretary, Kwara State Disability Youth Group, Mr. Felix Oyadinrin and the Assistant Secretary of the group, Mr. Ademola Isa, are not satisfied with the way government has been handling their welfare.

In spite of the several requests and representations made to the state government, their plight has not once attracted the concerned attention.

“We only get promises upon promises that have yet to be fulfilled,” they said.

They were surprised that the bill for the disabled that had been passed by the National Assembly has yet to be signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Oyadinrin, who doubts whether the aspirations and demands of PWDs were articulated by the political parties, said members of his association would join their Nigerian counterparts to vote in today’s election.

He said, “Over 500 of our members have their Permanent Voter Cards. So, we are going to vote, but we are not sure whether the political parties fielding candidates for the poll really have major plans for us.”

Isa agreed with Oyadinrin that aspirations and demands of the PWDs were not being well articulated by politicians.

He said, “It is true some politicians give the impression that they have the welfare of the people with special needs at heart but from experience, many of them do not. They will make you lofty promises and would not fulfil them. We have seen many of them who made such promises to us during elections and never fulfilled them even when they won elections.

“Most of the politicians do not carry disabled people along. They feel that we cannot contribute meaningfully to them. But it is not true. I can only talk of Dr. Mike Omotosho, who has really shown keen interest in our welfare. But other politicians do not even reckon with us let alone carrying us along.”

PWDs in Osun State also said they had been neglected by politicians in the state.

The Chairman, Forum of Chairmen of Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities in South-West, Mr. Kehinde Onitiju, told Saturday PUNCH in Osogbo that politicians had not been treating PWDs the way they should be treated.

Onitiju, a graduate of English Language from the Lagos State University, said that although some political parties encouraged PWDs by giving them nomination forms free of charge to contest elections, he stated that many of the political parties did not recognise his members.

In spite of the neglect, he and his colleagues would troop out to vote because they are citizens of Nigeria.

Onitiju also said that the Disability Bill awaiting the President’s signature would make life better if it was signed into law.

According to him, if the clamour for the establishment of a commission for PWDs has been heeded, many of the challenges confronting that category of Nigerians would have been addressed.

Onitiju said, “We are not carried along as such. Although the Independent National Electoral Commission is trying and the electoral body organised some programmes for us, we are telling others to recognise us during polls in the country.

“We want to go beyond being offered nomination form; we want to contest and win elections. We also want to be represented in government by our members.

“Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State appointed a special adviser from one of us and that is an improvement but we want the Disability Bill awaiting the President’s assent to be signed quickly and passed into law.”

The anger of the Leader of the South-West People Living with Disability, Paul Adelabu, stemmed from the President’s refusal to sign the Disability Bill before him into law.

According to him, the fact that the bill has not been signed indicates that PWDs are not valued in Nigeria.

Adelabu, who spoke with one of our correspondents on the telephone during the week, said the association had met with INEC and leaders of political parties on the need to ensure that PWDs with PVCs participate in the ongoing election process.

“The President has disappointed more than 20 million Nigerians living with disabilities. The National Assembly twice passed a Disability Bill but the President refused to sign it. That bill represents our rights, our life, freedom to speak and freedom to move about without fear of discrimination. There are many public buildings like banks that we cannot access because they are not disability-friendly.

“Government is not helping our members. At the national level, our welfare is not properly handled by the government. However, we have had series of meetings with leaders of political parties in the South-West and the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Oyo State, Rufus Akeju, and tabled our agitations and demands.

“We need assurances that we will receive the necessary assistance during elections and the REC has given the assurance. He has provided what are needed to ease disabled peoples’ movement and accessibility to polling units. The physically challenged will also receive help on election days.”

The Vice-Principal, School for the Handicapped in Ijokodo, Ibadan, Evangelist Olu Kayode, described as disservice to the nation a situation in which 15 per cent of a country’s population was neglected.

He said, “Our population represents 15 per cent of Nigeria’s population according to the United Nations. That is a huge number in politics. It will be wise for any political party or candidate to recognise our relevance.

“In Oyo State, some of us have been offered jobs in local government secretariats. Unfortunately, many politicians and their parties are not aware of the role we can play in their success. INEC has met us and we are satisfied with the arrangement it made for our members on the day of elections.”

In Ekiti State, politicians only remember the PWDs during elections.

A former Secretary, Association of People Living With Disability in the state, Gbenga Akindele, told one of our correspondents in Ado-Ekiti that politicians only remembered them during campaigns to get their votes and dump them when they get to office.

He said, “It is only when they are campaigning that they remember us. By the time they get elected, the story will change. We are the only ones that can tell the challenges we are facing.

“Due to criticisms, the political parties now invite us to their meetings across political parties. Before the election, they promised to make us happy, but when they get elected, they forget to fulfil their promises.”

The President, Physically-challenged People Association of Nigeria, Ogun State, Mr. Olusola Phillips, painted the challenges confronting the PWDs in the state better.

He also said the PWDs were not being carried along by politicians and government at all levels.

Phillips said, “The presidential and the National Assembly candidates do not carry us along in their programmes because none of them has programmes in their manifestos for us.

“We the physically-challenged usually meet with the blind and the dumb and deaf people to articulate our demands and forward to the government but it is painful that no candidate has programmes for us.”

He, however, commended INEC for taking the PWDs through voters’ education.

“INEC has told us that on the day of the election, we should not queue due to our disability but walk up to electoral officer on duty and explain ourselves and we will be attended to,” he said.

PWDs in Ondo State said though they were not being given due recognition by the government, they would still file out to vote for the candidates of their choice.

One of them, who simply identified himself as Success, said, “We don’t know any political party, it is the individuals who care about us that we know.

“For the care for our welfare, I can say that not much is being done, we hope that things will change in the next dispensation.”

Another PWD, Ogundepo Oladapo, is excited that he will participate in the election, but was not sure if those campaigning for his vote have any serious commitment to bettering the welfare of the physically-challenged persons.

A physically-challenged resident of Enugu State, Mr. Melone Benedict, hoped politicians would carry their love for PWDs beyond using them to campaign.

He said, “Candidates are going around, campaigning and making promises. Some PWDs are part of the campaign trains with the expectation that they (candidates) will do something for them when they win elections. The candidates have been assuring us of a better future. We hope that they will fulfil their promises.

“We are hopeful because from all indications, political office seekers are beginning to see the importance of the large number of physically challenged persons in elections.”

The PWDs based in Bauchi State asked politicians to back their promises with actions, even as they called on government to ensure peaceful poll.

The PWDs, who spoke in separate interviews with Saturday PUNCH, said they were not sure if the politicians value them.

One of them, Hassan Mohammed, said, “Politicians don’t fulfil their promises to us; they don’t have value for our lives because when they make promises to us, they fail to fulfil them.

“Our plea to whoever wins the presidential election is to create a ministry for us and he should also prevail on the governors to replicate same in their states.”

The Chairman, Bauchi State Agency for People with Disabilities, Mr. Ayuba Nalmi, said, “We often ask politicians what they will do for us when they win elections, and politicians promise to do everything for you because they need your vote.”

According to the Director, Centre for Citizen with Disability, Mr. David Anyaele, it is disheartening that political parties designed their programmes without having a specific agenda for the PWDs.

He said the PWDs are relegated to the background by the political parties.

Anyaele said neglect of the PWDs by those who should be concerned was culminated by the President’s refusal to sign the Disability Bill before him.

“It is shameful that the bill that should have been signed into law to protect the weakest of weak and protect the most marginalised group of the society has yet to be signed,” he added.

An Edo State-based PWD, Kieran Ogu, said politicians paid little or no attention to issues bothering of the welfare of the PWDs.

According to him, none of the political parties talks about plans to improve the living condition of the PWDs in their rallies and media campaigns.

Ogu said, “In Nigeria, politicians usually put the physically challenged aside. If you watch, they don’t mention anything about us in their political campaign.

“I will vote. But for now, the government is not addressing issues about people like us. When they want to construct roads, they don’t do it in a way that can accommodate us.

“For instance, the walkway on Oba Market Road in Benin City is high. If I am in a wheelchair, I can’t cross to the other side of the road.”

By: Olufemi Atoyebi, Kamarudeen Ogundele, Samuel Awoyinfa, Oluwole Josiah, Success Nwogu, Femi Makinde, Stephen Ukandu, Armstrong Bakam andAlexander Okere