By Ishaq Dan-Imam, Lokoja
The Kogi State Chapter of the National Association of Persons with Physical Disabilities (NAPWPD), has marked this year’s International Wheelchair Day, with a clarion call on non-governmental organizations, donors, governments, corporate bodies, philanthropists, and other spirited individuals in Nigeria, to come to the aid of persons with physical Disabilities (PWDs) in the state with provision of motorized Wheelchairs and other accessibility aids.
At an event to mark the 2024 International Wheelchair Day, held at the Disability House in Lokoja, on Friday, the Kogi State chapter of NAPWPD said that there is an urgent need to provide Wheelchair Users in the state with motorized Wheelchairs to facilitate easy movement of PWDs, given the rising cost of transportation and excruciating poverty, “among the poverty-stricken members of the association who are mostly unemployed.”
Kogi State Chairman of NAPWPD, Comrade Hassan Sule Destiny, in an emotional speech, says, “We can move about with the grace of God and the celebration of this year’s international Wheelchair Day,
marks a turning point in our quest for unhindered accessibility in the state as we look into the future with greater ‘hope’ and optimism, while we appreciate our good partner in the United States, the Disability Rights Fund, for providing us the support to commemorate the annual celebration of IWD on March 1 every year.”
Mr. Destiny, says the association is growing local chapters at the grassroots to be at the vanguard of community engagement for the popular participation of Wheelchair Users in Social Inclusion at the local government level.
“We will soon inaugurate the local government chapters of NAPWPD in 21 Local Government Areas (LGAs) across the state to amplify our ‘voice’ in the state. We shall continue with our struggle for easy ‘accessibility’ for greater empowerment of our members despite the hurdles against persons with physical Disabilities (PWDs) in the state for we believe in our inner spirit to overcome challenges.”
“The PWDs in the state cannot but thank the Disability Rights Fund for giving us the finances with which to organize the annual event just as we appreciate the innovative leadership of our national officers led by Comrade Ridwanu Mohammed Abdullahi, whose exceptional leadership inspired us to greatness as we propagate the ideals of NAPWPD to the grassroots in the state.
A national officer of the association, Mr. Arome Daniel Ibrahim, extolled the courage of Wheelchair Users in the state even in the face of the high cost of Wheelchairs, which according to him are beyond the reach of the PWDs as he called for local production of Wheelchairs at subsidized rate to enable more PWDs in the state to acquire Wheelchairs as essential mobility aid to demystify the agony of disability.
Arome, noted that Wheelchair Users incur the extra costs of transporting their Wheelchairs, as oftentimes, the PWDs charter motorcycles or commercial tricycles to convey their Wheelchairs separately along. Hence, there is a need for special allowances for the PWDs in civil service to make life easy for this category of deprived Nigerians who are limited by physical Disabilities.
International Wheelchair Day is celebrated worldwide every March, to raise public awareness of the importance of Wheelchairs to the accessibility of PWDs.
