By IZANG BALA BULUS
Joshua Yenle is a producer and presenter at Radio Nigeria,
Highland FM here in Jos, Plateau state. A Blind man who hailed from Mangu Local
government. He speaks Mugavul as his tribal language and he is the Chairman of
Nigerian Association of the blind in Plateau state. In this interview, he told
us about his disability and his life coping with it.
TQM. You introduced
yourself as a producer and presenter, our readers may want to know a little
about your educational background that got you to that stage?
Ans. Real, it’s not that I have gone far with my studies. I
lost sight at a very tender age, at a time when I was about to start my primary
school, so eventually I have to go to a special school. I started my school
with the school for the blind children in Gindiri, after that, I went to Boys
secondary school also in Gindiri, from there, I went to college of education
still in Gindiri.
I have enjoyed other courses with the media, including BBC Media
Action, where I had a lot of training on media.
At the moment, I would say, I am almost in the University,
where I hope to continue the media, which is a profession I have taken delight
in. That is the little I can say about my background educationally.
TQM. What is the life
of a person with visual impairment like on the Plateau, considering that you
are leading that Association here?
Ans. Well unfortunately, when we are talking about the
welfare of persons with visual impairment on the Plateau, it is very, very sad
in the sense that, they don’t wish to be blind in the first place, secondly,
these are people who are struggling so much under very serious pressure to
secure and acquire education and unfortunately, the employment opportunities are
not there for them. Infact, it would shock you to know that, the last person
with visual impairment that was employed under the Plateau state civil service
was in 1990, that is 30 years ago. For
thirty years, no single person with visual impairment was employed in the state
civil service. So you can imagine the number of graduates and number of those
who have acquired different kinds of skills or discipline that are laying down
without any form of government work.
Well, a few may be privileged to have one or two things
doing, but we are talking about, where the state government concern should have
come in, that is where the problem is. So looking at that situation, by
implication a lot of our peoples’ welfare is very poor. And unfortunately,
there is no serious empowerment either created by government or
non-governmental organizations to be able to take care of these people,
unfortunately, that have been the story of persons with visual impaired.
TQM. What concrete steps have your association
taken or is taking to help your members, since the government appeared not to
be doing much towards your direction?
Ans. It may interest to know that our association is one of
the first organization that started in Nigeria, this association kick started
in 1968 and come to Plateau in the year 1970. All this while, the association
have been struggling over the years the welfare of persons with Disabilities is
improve, particularly those with visual impairment. In fact, even under my
watch, we even had the time to go out to demonstrate, we blocked government
offices to secure government attention to create opportunity for us to work and
to improve our welfare, but to no avail.
TQM. Sir, I believe
there is one or two things that your association have done or is doing under
your leadership to help improve the welfare of your members, even when the much
desired assistance from the state government is not forth coming. What is that
one or two things you have done or doing?
Ans. On our own as an association we have tried other things
outside the government, one of such things is, when had the privilege of
meeting Oxfam through their project called Voice Nigeria, we drew their
attention on the need for our people to have ICT knowledge and luckily they
gave us grand and with it were able to procure some laptops, presently we are
training some few of our members. It is expected, under their sponsorship this
program would go on for some time.
This is one of the effort we have made and we are still
looking here and there to get stakeholders to come to our aid. And I think this
is an opportunity here to put a call across through this media to anybody or
group of persons that are interested in our case to please come to our aid.
TQM. What will be
your call to parents who are having children visual impairment, that are hiding
them rather than helping such children to live a life worth living?
Ans. Take away pride, take away arrogance, can I use myself
as an example, I want to assure that I am not even one of the best examples
when it comes to the blind, who can be said to be well informed, well educated,
well established or well to do, on the Plateau. No, there are many other
persons are blind out there doing well in their respective fields or endeavors.
Now that is a conformation to such parents, that there is no need to hide your
own child. If the child of Mr A, who is blind like you own can do great things,
why do you think that your child cannot do it? That is to tell you that, you
are rather deceiving yourself and ruining the life of your child. It is
possible you are hiding one of the best person not only in your family, but
possibly state or even in the country.
For example, the special adviser to the president on Disability
matters, Dr. Ankeli is a person with visual impairment.
I am happy to announce to you that, we have even professors
that is visually impaired in this country, people like professor Jibril, a lecturer
with Bayero University Kano. He schooled at the famous school for the blind children
in Gindiri, what about Professor Bani of blessed memory now, who was a
physiotherapy Doctor with Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. What about Mr. Bala Dakup, who is a director here at the
Plateau State Disability Rights Commission, who was once a staff of Plateau
Radio and Television Corporation. These are few of many, many stories of
persons with visual impairment and they are stories to tell.
So it is not anything
good to hide or deny education and training to any child with visual impairment
or any form of Disability. It may appear to be very difficult, as to educate a
child with visual impairment is expensive, but leaving your child without education
is even more expensive.
TQM. How can you
assess The Disability Rights here on the? The journey so far?
Ans. If I am to assess what we now have as the Plateau State
Disability Rights Commission which, we are lucky, it happens to be the first in
the whole federation. In acted and
signed by the then Governor Dariye in 2005, and was put in action by the passed
Governor Jang in 2013. Well so far so good. There is no much to tell about the
achievement of the commission on the side of persons with Disabilities, as you still
find these people going hungry, they are still going unemployed, they are still
going without education and you still find homeless. And these are the major
reasons why people with disabilities on the Plateau struggled for a commission
to be created for them to take them out of Egypt, if I may go biblical. But unfortunately, the situation still
remains the same. I wish the government
should change its attitude towards persons with Disabilities, when people are
complaining, government should hear what they are saying, perhaps they may take
up something.
The United Nations charter says, if a community is said to
be good, then it would be established from the way they are handling the
persons with Disabilities. If the persons with Disabilities are faring well,
that tell the community is good, but when you are saying that things are good and
it is a group in this nature still in abject poverty, it is not fair enough
that the government has something that needs to be done and it is not doing it.
When you see people by virtue of their condition, they have
been relegated over the years, and then up to this moment, you say you have a
commission for them, yet they are still suffering, then ask yourself is it that
they don’t have budget for this commission?
If they have, where is that budget going to? Who is eating what belongs
to thousands of hundreds of persons with on the Plateau? It is a very big question.
TQM. Sir, what would be your take on recently
appointment members of Disability commission at the federal level by president
Buhari?
Ans. I must commend President Bihari, if not for anything at
least for the singular act of even signing the bill that is now a law. The
discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018, which
he signed in January last year. This has been lingering over the years under
different administration at the federal level at the end of the day he signed
it. That is a good thing for PWDs.
Now the constituting of the commission members which the President
has since announced is another good thing from him, and I will want to believe
the selection was done in good faith.
My call on these people who have been saddled with this opportunity
should not disappoint millions of persons with Disabilities. And to the
president, we appreciated the wonderful gesture given to us.
TQM. Thank Sir for your time.
Ans. You are welcome
