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
