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Easing the burden of disability

Tuesday, Mar 13, 2007

While some people gaped in utter amazement others nodded their heads even as many, of the guests shuffled their legs apparently in response to the scintillating and sonorous songs of the physically challenged.

Mrs. Debbie Alasa, a cripple, was the lead vocalist. Her angelic voice reverberated across the four corners of the ultra modern hall of The Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Benin City perhaps to drive home the theme of the song that there is ability in disability'.

As she sang, the audience made up of other physically challenged and invited guests joined in the choruses which blended with an electrifying effect.

It was indeed a special day when the disables displayed rare abilities in music and drama renditions. But beyond the entertainment was the aura of empathy that could be recall from the strings of tears that rolled down the cheeks of one of the guests like ribbons of agony.

The occasion was the launching of the Nigerian Chapter of International Rehabilitation for African Disabled (IRAD). IRAD is as the name implies an international organisation which is seeking to reduce the plight and protect the interest and future of African disables.

Though IRAD has its headquarters in Germany its President Mr. Vincent Onais, also a physically challenged person is a Nigerian based in Germany.

He said in a telephone chart that the launching of the Nigerian Chapter of IRAD was an attempt to re-awaken the consciousness of the Nigerian people's over the plight of the physically challenged people in our midst. He said the physically challenged people in Africa were treated like sub-humans and utterly relegated to the background in the scheme of things.

Mr. Onais says he is looking forward to the day when the physically challenged in our midst would be adequately provided for and treated like other members of the society.

The launching was therefore an occasion not only to highlight the plight of the physically challenged in Nigeria but also to extend a hand of fellowship. Onais and his group used the occasion to show the disables in Nigeria that they also have brothers and sisters in diaspora who care for their well being.

They did not only facilitate the launching financially but donated 25 wheel chairs, cloths and a vehicles to facilitate IRAD activities in Nigeria.

However, the mood of the guests and the disables at the occasion were dampened by the disclosure by the National Chairman of IRAD Hon. Sunny Okoro that the Nigerian customs refused to grant duty waivers for humanitarian goods even as the vehicle continued to incur demurrage.

According to the chairman, his members took the painful decision of selling the vehicle such that they could bail only the 25 wheel chairs that were distributed at the occasion. Enlightening the gathering on the challenges posed by disability, guest lecturer at the occasion and coordinator of SAVAN a similar life saving organisation Dr. Eddy Ehikhamenor said that disability was a multi-dimensional word often used interchangeably to cover a wide range of disabilities including moral and spiritual disabilities. He insisted that nearly every human being suffers from one form of disability or the other. He listed causes of disability to include attack, infection, genetic inheritance, diseases, accident and so on.

He however, said that a new nomenclature -physically challenged, has helped to draw close attention in to the plight of the physically disabled.

Ehikhamenor also stated that a statistics has indicated that about 10% of the worlds 6 billion people are suffering from one form of physical disability or the other. The real tragedy, however, is that the third world countries share a greater burden of the worlds disables.

The guest lectures also told the gathering that the occasion was an opportunity to share and to interact since everyone was potentially disabled.

"We are not really better than them."

He urged the physically challenged to unite and see IRAD as a strong voice for their emancipation. "Rather that feel stigmatised, you should have a voice in IRAD." Ehikhamenor counseled.

While presenting the wheel chairs IRAD National chairman called on the government, religious and public spirited individuals to provide for the needs of the physically challenged.

He said governments could do this through the donation of vehicles and recreational facilities including the appointment of the physically challenged into positions of higher, responsibility while the churches could raise special offerings for them.

Shouts of glory be to God' rented the air following the testimony of one of the disables, a cripple, who said she recently gained admission into Benue State Polytechnic but had been moving from one hospital to the other appealing for a wheel chair to enable her to attend lectures without success.

Debbie Alasa's excitement when she mounted the wheel chair drew the attention of everyone present. 'Glory be to God' she shouted over and over again before reeling out unending praises to the donor and the facilitator of the programme.

Beside the physically challenged who were selected from the 18 local government areas of Edo State, two other recipients Mr. Lucky Dady and Daniel Donga who traveled all the way from Port Harcourt to Benin through the assistance of the acting features editor, Rivers State Newspaper Corporation, publishers of The Tide group of newspapers, also went back with a wheel chair each.

IRAD has set the pace for other humanitarian organisations to follow. It stands as a voice not only calling for the unification of African disables but also for greater attention to be paid to their plight by governments churches, public spirited individuals and organisations.

Relieving the burden of African disables is not just a challenge to Africa but to the entire human race.

Source www.thetidenews.com


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