Disabled Persons Need Attention – Edima

It is an incontestable fact
that a good number of people with one  form of disability or the other make up the population of the society.
As it is, everyone has come to live together with them and as well do appreciate their incapacities and capabilities including their fears amongst others.
Over the years, the disabled, especially in our climes, have found it difficult to integrate meaningfully into the society due to the lack of will on the part of policy makers to ameliorate their plight.
Interestingly, however, not too long ago, an umbrella body for all persons with disabilities in the country came up, and has been working assiduously to sensitise everyones consciousness that such persons deserve attention just like  every other citizen of the country.
Recently the Rivers State chapter chairman of the Join National Association of Persons with Disabilities, (JNAPD), Mr Uhumabe Edima who is confined to a wheel chair spoke to The Tide man, King Osila on a number of issues ranging from non provision of special automated Teller Machines, ATMs, restrictions into bank halls, employment opportunities and social integration amongst others.

What would you say are you major challenges as disabled persons in accessing facilities at banks in the country?
Ans: Right now, it has became so difficult for disabled persons to access the banks.
Most banks now have security doors that would not admit people on wheel chairs and sometime ever those on crutches so we are shut out of the banks.
We are part of the society and we also have our little resources in the banks.
The easiest thing for us is to access ATMs but they are built so high such that a person on wheel chair cannot access and those on crutches will find it difficult queuing up .
We have had cases of being defrauded  if we engage other people to withdraw money for us.
They take undue advantage of our disability to disposes us of even our cash.
I know of a case a disabled person gave his ATM card to somebody to help him with draw money.
At the end it was discovered that  the person used the opportunity and transferred quite a huge amount of money from the disabled persons account to his own account.
These are the kind of things we suffer and we are being excluded from legitimate activities.
Whatever structure that they are constructing facilities should be put in place to cater for the needs of the disabled persons in the society.
This is a very serious matter on our part so we are praying that the banks should come to our rescue.
For every three or more ATM points, one should be built specifically for persons with disability and let it be built low to enable those an wheel chair access easily.
We are not saying that the public should not use them as well but once a disabled person comes around, they should be given attention first.
Ques: For now, how far have you taken this fight to and if not what are your plan?
Ans: To be candid, I have not yet the opportunity  of meeting bank officials formally.
I remember complaining in one or two banks that I do business with.
Even in those banks, I cannot go into the banking halls, I stay outside and do my transactions, this is wrong and improper.
I have complained to my bankers, and other banks I am opportune to go to, I lay my complain. I am using this medium to make such appeal.
Although a few weeks ago, I  read from the newspapers about one of these new generation banks (Keystone Bank) in Lagos, that they built ATM specially for the disabled and that is commendable.
What do you think could the major challenges to banks in providing ATMs specially for the physically disabled given that banks are run more or less as capitalist ventures?
I do not see any hindrance or major challenge to the banks whatsoever.
Whatever it takes the banks to install an ATM anywhere is the same, it does not require any special features.
Just one ATM out of the lot at a particular bank cannot make the banks incur any special costs.
The most important thing is that it should be lower to enable easy access by the disabled persons.
At least, overseas we see were priority is given to such people especially at parking lots and public buildings, so why can it not be done in Nigeria.
In terms of employment for  your members specifically and generally can you say you are satisfied with what is on ground presently?
Well in regard to employment or appoint for members, we particularly look unto the government.
But I am disappointed to say that the government has not done much in the employment of disabled persons.
I remember the last time the Rivers State government conducted the 13,000 teachers exercise recruitment, I went to the Permanent  Secretary   of the Ministry of Education to make a special request for the disabled, who have such qualifications like NCE, B.Ed amongst others, but no placement was granted to us.
If government cannot grant us concession what can we say about the private sector that are profit oriented.
Most of the time they will say maybe the disabled person may not be able to be as productive as they normal person.
They may see them to be of low productivity and unwilling to hire them .
Government first of all is the first culprit in discriminating against disabled persons in terms of employment, I must say.
Out of thousands of Civil Servants in the state, how many are disabled, I am sure we are not up to one hundred.
We will be happy if the government and even the private sector give us the opportunity and see if we will not perform.
I have been employed since 1990 and I have not failed in my duties. I am now a Director in the Civil Service, I have not failed in my duties, so I believe other disabled persons like me will perform.
Give us the opportunity first before discriminating against us.
What benefits has your role in the association done to the members.
The JNAPD has been on ground for sometime and I joined it not long ago.
Many of us (disabled) who are opportune to be in positions tend to neglect others of their colleagues.
Even though now, lets say I am contented, but I feel for others as well and that is what led me to the association and I go there to see that there is so much to do.
The disabled persons need a voice that will speak for them most times.
Despite every efforts we make, government does not seem to hear .
Unfortunately even some of us who have the opportunity to be somewhere in terms of employment or position forget about their counterparts.
Anyway, by the special grace of God, it is not so with me, so I decided to take the challenge  to see through the little I can do for others.
If I am here, I want others to be also were I am.
Can you say some of the challenges you have in the state apart form the employment thing?
Right now the association has no secretariat in the state.
We have made frantic efforts to the government to find us a place we can call our own but they seem not to care.
All they do is on the 3rd of every December which is the International Day for the Disabled they gather us together.
At the end, they entertain us, make speeches and empty promises and disperse us.
It has been a kind of ritual every December 3rd.
Most of the time when we attend such events, the story is the same.
I remember two instances where the representative of the governor or  government left even before we presented our address.
The last one was the Secretary to the State Government.
He attended the programme and left before we could even make any request or say anything.
It was so again in 2012, that means one thing, they are not ready to listen to us, they are not ready to include us in the scheme of things.
But we believe one day our emancipation will come.

Mr Edima