by Chris Agbo
The Country Director, Christoffel Blind Mission (CBM) Bright Ekweremmadu speaking in the First DRF/DRAF Grantees Convening in Nigeria on Tuesday expressed his disappointment over the way Persons with disabilities are handling their own issues. There is a saying that he who wears the shoes knows where it pinches. Imagine a situation where persons with disabilities are divided, fighting among themselves, not ready to work as a team and are very selfish in their interest, beat his imagination.
He reminded that we were all alive in Nigeria during the endemic of HIV/AIDS. We must have noticed what happened then, the people who fought most were people living with HIV/AIDS, as an umbrella body not as individuals. At conferences and conventions, they fought themselves and mostly for what would be beneficiary to the generality of the persons living with HIV/AIDS. Even though, some of them have their individuals NGOs, they didn’t allow their own interest to jettison the interest of the umbrella body at the national.
He recalled that when he came to CBM, the first task before him was the leadership crisis in Joint National Associations of Persons with disabilities (JONAPWD). He was told that it was a no-go area that nobody should talk about it, it is like a cult. National Human Rights Commission and other major stakeholders have made effort to resolve it and CBM did their bit to resolve the crisis but after all the efforts, time and money, the crisis persist. It is selfishness that will make one to say that if it is not me, no other persons can occupy the leadership position of JONAPWD.
He counselled that we should learn to be good followers also. Some leaders in JONAPWD have made their mark and some have equally made money, some even have their children schooling abroad but there are over 20 million Nigerians with disabilities who are suffering in need of JONAPWD at the centre be more organized and cooperative to speak for them because they can speak for themselves. Leaders here at the centre are fighting and quarreling to the detriment of the majority meanwhile the same JONAPWD have given these leaders so much in life.
He advised that persons with disabilities can only achieve so much if we can come together, be more organized, speak with one language and one voice, occupy important positions. That is when enough success can be achieve for the good of those who cannot speak for themselves. PWDs should begin now to start speaking to themselves and found reason to work together for the sake of peace and progress.
