A Case For The Visually Impaired

The sorry state of the visually impaired in Nigeria and nations across the globe came to the front burner of international discourse again last week as the world paused to mark a day to excite global consciousness on their subject.
Observed as White Cain Day in the United States in 1964, the day has since been adopted by the United Nations (UN) owing to its universal relevance and spread.
Consequently, each year, the UN ensures that it arouses international awareness on the plight of that fringe of humanity with visual challenge using a carefully chosen theme, “Keeping the Blind Walking.”
This theme could not have been more apt, especially against the backdrop of several causative factors and a number of intervening variables that conspire to discipline the physical effort and activities of the blind and the visually impaired in the society.
Nigeria actually has cause to worry, giving the grim statistics of persons with visual impairment across the country and how the sufferers swell the number of destitutes on the street.
Even as the population of the visually challenged steadily grows in Nigeria, efforts at addressing the all-important issue and taking care of affected persons appear to be invisible on the radar of government plan.
It needs not to be restated that sight is one of the most important needs in life. Often, affected persons become a burden on society and in most cases, something of a nuisance to their immediate environment because society has no deliberate plan to manage them.
Perhaps, it should also be noted that the visually impaired are not totally useless. In fact, they have abilities that society can draw from. Government must develop their potentials and drink the special contributions from such persons. There must be special schools to develop their skills. For the rest of society that have not come down with it, let there be good hospitals.
According to science, the causes of visual impairment are varied. They include environmental, nutritional, abuse of drugs, health complications and more. But the worst of it all is that in Africa, it is still driven by poverty, ignorance and superstition.
Here in Rivers State, the number of blind street beggars swells daily. However, knowing that most of the blind beggars come from the Northern part of Nigeria, government ought to have done a study to identify the rare causes of blindness with a view to eliminating it and limiting human misery in this area.
It is however heart-warming to note that some corporate organizations have started programmes to make more Nigerians have access to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (cooking gas) as the use of firewood is also suspected to affect the eyes. Government would need to support and expand this laudable initiative.
The Tide commends the UN for throwing light on this subject and providing some kind of assistance, material and otherwise. It is now on the conscience of governments and indeed the civil service to give expression to this compelling social need.
It is a shame that in 21st century Africa, eye problems still constitute a huge challenge. At a time when science on the subject has also grown, there cannot be any reason why the governments in Africa cannot have a handle on the problem.
We demand that the issue be treated with the seriousness it deserves even in Nigeria and stop this avoidable pain and stigma.