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
