Plight of the physically challenged
ON a state visit to Imo State recently, President Olusegun Obasanjo chanced on a blind 31- year old Mass Communication student, Mr Cajetan Nwachukwu, whose entreaty for assistance impressed him so much that he directed his Special Assistant (Media) Mrs Remi Oyo, to offer him immediate employment.
Nwachukwu, a 1998 Higher National Diploma graduate of Mass Communication from the Institute of Technology, Enugu, had seized the opportunity of an interactive session with the President to make a passionate appeal: "Mr President", he said, "you know that a disabled man without a job is double disability. So when you bring them together, disabled people are the most vulnerable in employment opportunities, they are the most vulnerable in hunger and other problems associated with it. You have special assistants for this and that. How many disabled people have you appointed as your special assistants?"
President Obasanjo not only promised Nwachukwu a job, he used the occasion to call upon states and local governments to follow his example and offer employment to the disabled. According to him, "physical disability is not a disease"; it is the policy of his administration to support physically challenged persons even if it may not be possible to employ all of them.
The President's gesture is noteworthy. He has on the spur of the moment helped at least one Nigerian out of several thousands facing the same dilemma. But the problem he has sought to tackle with spontaneity is much wider in its ramifications. What the physically challenged need is not pity but justice. What is required is not selective acts of charity but a well-articulated policy which respects the humanity of physically challenged persons as citizens with full rights and responsibilities under the law.
Besides, government ought to be able to create minimum standards for every Nigerian regardless of their condition. The matter is further exacerbated by the chronic unemployment situation in the country where even trained and willing able-bodied persons cannot find work. Even so, a case can be made for the employment of the physically challenged. There should be a legislative provision for the mandatory employment of a specified percentage of disabled persons in all enterprises as part of the social policy of a caring government.
The Nigerian State has done very little to address the plight of the disabled and underprivileged. From insane persons and other persons of unsound mind roaming our streets, to hordes of beggars, many accompanied by their children, as well as handicapped persons on the highways, the situation is grim. It is sad that young Nigerian children some as young as two years old, are begging on the streets, mumbling languages they hardly understand. There does not appear to be rehabilitation centres for this group of persons. Nor has there been any coherent effort by governments at all levels, to focus on their plight.
Lepers pose a particular challenge. The formerly well-run leper colonies faced with adverse economic circumstances can no longer be sustained. Lepers have been forced out of their settlements by continuing neglect, hunger, lack of medication, poor accommodation and other privations and are now to be found on the highways. Their children, many of whom can be saved from the scourge of leprosy are abandoned with their parents.
It is not right to condemn a Nigerian child to a life of hopelessness, regardless of where they are coming from. Everywhere in Nigeria the blind and the deaf and dumb are consigned to a life of want and deprivation. This needs not be so as quite a significant number of handicapped persons have educational qualifications, and skills with which they can compete in work environments if given the opportunity.
There are various forms of disabilities, some more severe than others. The difference is that in this society, the disabled are treated like second class citizens. For cultural and other superstitious reasons, many families are reluctant to either identify with or accept them. In the general society, the disabled are stigmatised and excluded from basic opportunities. Although their needs are greater than those of able-bodied persons, not enough provisions are made in deference to their special status.
Things taken for granted by the majority are often a major challenge to the disabled. For example, the use of public toilets, the climbing of stairs, the getting on and off a bus, writing, moving about, inter-personal communication and other basic tasks are hazards of trepidation for them, depending on the nature of the disability.
All civilised societies make provisions for the disabled in the planning of all public facilities; they are often guaranteed places in schools and employment after school, and treated as citizens with rights and responsibilities. The Nigerian government must raise its game from pity to performance through a legislative platform.
In addition, there ought to be practical policies and programmes, with the active participation of serious NGOs, to assist the physically disadvantaged, and protect them from prejudices, and all forms of discrimination.
