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
