Ishaq Dan-Imam, Lokoja
The members of the Kogi State Chapter of the National Association of Persons with Physical Disabilities (NAPWPD), held a get-together at the state rehabilitation Centre in Lokoja, on Saturday, where hordes of persons with physical disabilities across the state had a PWDs family dinner.
The PWDS provided the assorted meals from their pockets, while the best female cooks among them displayed their cookery to the admiration of guests.
The visibly excited members were served assorted meals, with musical interludes, to herald the beginning of a new year amid growing concerns about their poor living conditions, as persons with special needs in the State struggle to make ends meet amid the economic depression.
It was a colourful Saturday event where the grandeur of NAPWPD membership as well as its glorious achievement came to the fore, while gaily dressed PWDS were fed to satiety, as many devoured the sumptuous meals, Chicken and pile of fries with a voracious appetite. They sang songs of praise and gratitude to God for keeping members alive in spite of the myriad of challenges of livelihood in a depressed economy.
In a laconic speech laden with convictions and hopes, Kogi State chairman of NAPWPD, Comrade Destiny Hassan Sule, decried the ‘pathetic plight’ of NAPWPD members in the State regarding poverty, homelessness, illiteracy, unemployment, food inflation, family rejection, the lack of mobility aids and absence of inclusive transport system, which highlight the burden of disability on members, with the increasing economic difficulties faced by NAPWPD members among other challenges of life.
Comrade Sule says members of the association can only make progress in the society with increased disability advocacy for enhanced financial inclusion through collective efforts, as he urged the members to suggest new ideas that could move the association and its members to greater heights, while Kogi NAPWPD plans to make the yearly get-together bigger and attractive to its members and other disability clusters in the State.
“We in the EXCO believe that a tree cannot make a forest, and that makes it expedient for us to work together in unison to achieve our common purpose of mutual love as a progressive group of the downtrodden who suffer the most of the leadership failures in our society.
“We owe it a duty to ourselves, to love, support, and engrain ourselves with entertainment, refreshments, and counseling to make ourselves happier, while we take stock of the events that affected us in the previous year with a stronger hope for better years ahead.
“I urge all of us to be our brothers’ keepers as we renew hope for a better and prosperous tomorrow as we strive to keep the ideals of NAPWPD Nigeria alive with greater optimism,” Destiny said.
The national treasurer of NAPWPD, Mr. Daniel Ibrahim Arome, who represented the national President, Comrade Mohammed Ridwan Abdullahi, at the event, said the Kogi State chapter of NAPWPD had become a shiny example to other state chapters for being the first to break even with the end-of-year get-together to drink and wine together in a spirit of love and togetherness.
Arome said the national Secretariat of NAPWPD Nigeria was proud of the ‘laudable’ Get-together initiated by the Destiny Hassan-led Exco in the State, adding that Kogi NAPWPD members are a force and the first to be reckoned with such a milestone.
“This achievement is a testimony to your hard work and we celebrate this milestone as we urge NAPWPD members across Nigeria to be consistently strong and united behind their leader as we crave for socio-economic improvement in our lives, and NAPWPD leadership at the national level is working hard with the state leaderships to change the narrative of neglect and despondency in the lives of persons with physical disabilities in Nigeria.
“The national President sends his regards and best wishes to Kogi NAPWPD on this auspicious occasion, while looking forward to supporting your initiative in the best possible way.”
There were goodwill messages from the state JONAPWD Chairman, Hon. Solomon Yahaya, a Lokoja-based PWD medical practitioner, Dr Samuel Alhassan, and a PWD-friendly police officer, Mr. Abel Osemwingie Isaac, from Edo state who is a popular friend of PWDS in the State and married to a female PWD activist, Mrs Deborah Waniko, the state NAPWPD Secretary, and staff of Kogi State office for Disability Affairs, (KOSODA) among other dignitaries who graced the colourful event.
