Nigeria has quite a huge figure of persons with disabilities, over 25 million people according to a 2011 World report on disability. That amount is equivalent to Cameroon’s population and three times the population of Israel.
For Bishop Emmanuel Musa Jatau and members of Faith Hill Prophetic Assembly, Abuja, every last Sunday of the month gives them opportunity to share in the plights of people living with disability and various challenges. In an interview Dr. Samuel Ankeli, Benue State born Veterinary Doctor, and Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on People With Disability (PWD), spoke with Akanimo Kufre on the silent cries of PWDs and efforts aimed at improving their well being in Nigeria.
What is the prospect for disabled people in Nigeria currently?
Simply to amplify their voice, we have never had it like this before where we speak to ourselves. The vision is that Nigeria becomes more disability friendly, whatever has to do with disability let us be the ones to do it ourselves. We are looking forward to a nation where people with disability will have the opportunity to excel despite or disregarding their level or impact of disability. That we can contribute to the social economic and political space of Nigeria as a nation and the society will see us as human beings that are just differently able and if given opportunity we can excel, we have done that in sport and we have done that in several areas and I think what we need is opportunity on our own to call on everyone to give us an opportunity be it in the church or mosque, school or in the environment of sport or employment, try us and give us the chance then you can now assess us after we fail but I guarantee you that because God is with us and we are special people, we shall always excel in any that they expect us to crawl.
Do you have a way of reaching out to disabled people all across the nooks and crannies of Nigeria?
Yes we have different structures and I have worked with several organisations and associations. We have the umbrella organisations, we have the cluster heads and we also work through the local government structure, we work through the state government who graciously have been appointing people in government with disabilities to help coordinate issues of disability. We work with the media to advocate loud and clear, we work through international agencies to see how they can give us support and direct assistance in the areas of employment, areas of education, area of entrepreneurship and social injustice. Recently we got some fund through the American government for developing our participation in politics, we are working on several areas and it is continuous.
You are the person advising Mr President on people with disability, what is your major focus that you are stamping your feet upon now?
To get ourselves entrenched into the political system, 3 simple actions are necessary; one, get a voters card and become relevant. Unless you become an active citizen, you cannot change the situation on ground, you will not have a voice unless you have a voter’s card. Number two, is to open up the space politically so we can participate in decision making process. My experience has given an understanding that unless you are there to speak, people hardly remember you. Enough of this saying, “we know your pains, we will speak for you.’)” No! We wear the shoe, we know where it hurts. We will speak for ourselves. That is political participation, we are tired of electing people, I 1think it is time in Nigeria people with disability stands for election and be elected so we can change the situation on the ground by ourselves. And finally is economic relevance. We want to create more financial access so that people with disability who can’t get government job can get loans and grants as financial support so they can do their business and get income. Nobody wants to beg. It is not dignifying and one of the greatest challenges is that we don’t have income to help us achieve our goals.
Quite a positive development in the church this morning, the moderator reminded members of 5 daily and 2018 personal achievements that included donation water dispenser in public place, donation of a wheel chair to a hospital. Would you advise other churches do same?
Any church that doesn’t open its door to people with disability is not a church of Jesus Christ. That church the owner knows where he got it from, because the Jesus I know went about doing good healing and setting free oppressed of the devil, healed the blind and raise the dead. Any church that does not open doors to people with disability is not of God. So am encouraging all church worshipers, leaders, General Overseer open your doors let the deaf get an interpreter let them hear the message, let the access to your church building be such one can use his wheel chair, let me accessible to the blind and get information. Faith cometh by hearing, hearing by the Word of God. Can they hear unless they are sent, can they be sent when nobody is paying for it. We must do something together that can bring the glory of God down and begin to see miracles. For now we can see miracles because the power of God is not in churches because they have lock away some category of human beings that God cherish so much. Open your door as people with disability come into your church and work out big miracle.
