hot-angel:

Roads in Nigeria are NOT wheelchair accessible. Offices, buildings, shopping stores, markets, even schools are not accessible. I understand the aesthetics of stairs in a building, but SERIOUSLY? Does every building have to have stairs? On my visit, I wanted to go into a bank with my friend and her mother, but come to find out, the bank had about 4 steps of stairs, and if by some way or manner I was able to get past the stairs, the doors to the bank are so small that a wheelchair would not fit into it. So where does this leave a person on a wheelchair? No access to banks? Schools? Businesses? Companies? Without education, we know it’s hard to get a good well paying job, and without access to most business places, a disabled individual is more susceptible to being poor, and having to beg for money and basic every day necessities.

hot-angel:

Since my last Visit to Nigeria in 2009, it has been in my heart to go back there to increase the awareness to people who are "disabled". This was my first time in Nigeria after I had the tragic car accident in March 2008 which left me with practically no other choice than to make use of a wheelchair in order to gain independence and be mobile. I was a little skeptical on going to Nigeria at first, not because of how I would be perceived as a person on a wheelchair, but because let’s face it, roads in Nigeria aren’t the best, and almost every building is NOT wheelchair accessible. As most of you already know, I don’t let this physical disability stop me from living my life and doing that which I want to do. I have been able, by the grace of God to go back to school, travel everywhere I want to go to (well, everywhere I can afford to, oh wait, I mean, everywhere my father buys me ticket to go to, lol), and do the things I want to do, because I now have a deeper understanding of the phrase “Life is short”. I stay smiling because I genuinely know joy that is beyond comprehension. I am thankful for being alive and well, and one thing stays constant in my life, My Faith in God. I believe that I will walk again, but until that time, I will continue to conquer and live this life. Do I have rough days? *Uses British accent* Oh No dear! Rough days?! Whatever does that mean? LOL, Okay, okay… Jokes aside. Well of course I have rough days, we all have rough days. But I always try to remember on those rough days: “This too shall pass”. I have been blessed with AMAZING people in my life, and I just can’t say much other than: GOD YOU ARE SO GOOD! 

hot-angel:

Since my last Visit to Nigeria in 2009, it has been in my heart to go back there to increase the awareness to people who are "disabled".  This was my first time in Nigeria after I had the tragic car accident in March 2008 which left me with practically no other choice than to make use of a wheelchair in order to gain independence and be mobile.  I was a little skeptical on going to Nigeria at first, not because of how I would be perceived as a person on a wheelchair, but because let’s face it, roads in Nigeria aren’t the best, and almost every building is NOT wheelchair accessible. As most of you already know, I don’t let this physical disability stop me from living my life and doing that which I want to do. I have been able, by the grace of God to go back to school, travel everywhere I want to go to (well, everywhere I can afford to, oh wait, I mean, everywhere my father buys me ticket to go to,  lol), and do the things I want to do, because I now have a deeper understanding of the phrase “Life is short”. I stay smiling because I genuinely know joy that is beyond comprehension.  I am thankful for being alive and well, and one thing stays constant in my life, My Faith in God. I believe that I will walk again, but until that time, I will continue to conquer and live this life. Do I have rough days? *Uses British accent* Oh No dear! Rough days?! Whatever does that mean?  LOL,  Okay, okay… Jokes aside. Well of course I have rough days, we all have rough days. But I always try to remember on those rough days: “This too shall pass”. I have been blessed with AMAZING people in my life, and I just can’t say much other than:  GOD YOU ARE SO GOOD!   

Now that I have given you a brief history of myself, let’s go back to what I was saying about wanting to increase the awareness to people who are physically disabled in Nigeria.  Physical disability does not mean mental disability, and this is something that I really think a lot of people don't get yet.

Most Nigerians see a person on the street using a wheelchair,  begging for money, food or basic everyday needs and they just snob them and immediately think "haa, another one trying to get MY money"! It is one thing to be poor and “able bodied”, and it’s another thing entirely to be poor and “disabled”.

My reason for wanting to go back to Nigeria is not because I was treated wrong when I was there, and thus I long for something better.  No, not at all, I dare say I was treated like royalty! Independent as I am, I had cousins, aunties, friends, neighbors, strangers, and just about everybody, offering to help me. I could go on living my life thinking this is the life every “disabled” person in Nigeria lives, but the truth remains: this is not the treatment the everyday person on a wheelchair or with any form of disability in Nigeria gets.

Roads in Nigeria are NOT wheelchair accessible. Offices, buildings, shopping stores, markets, even schools are not accessible. I understand the aesthetics of stairs in a building, but SERIOUSLY? Does every building have to have stairs? On my visit, I wanted to go into a bank with my friend and her mother, but come to find out, the bank had about 4 steps of stairs, and if by some way or manner I was able to get past the stairs, the doors to the bank are so small that a wheelchair would not fit into it. So where does this leave a person on a wheelchair? No access to banks? Schools? Businesses? Companies? Without education, we know it’s hard to get a good well paying job, and without access to most business places, a disabled individual is more susceptible to being poor, and having to beg for money and basic every day necessities.

Nigerians living in Nigeria, I’m sure you’re not blind, you see these people on the streets, in the market, and everywhere. You know that they are living very poor lives and most of them, though they are mentally capable would not be given the time of the day at a work place or taken seriously in the business world.  They deserve much more than being treated as incapable just because of their physical deformities. This might be some sort of a stretch, because I know some of the “able bodied” in Nigeria have not secured a good job talk more the physically disabled, but these people are human and they need to have equal rights as well.

As I stated earlier, ever since 2009, it has been in my heart to do something about this, get some sort of awareness thing started out there, to just do something! But until now, I was thinking I had to be IN Nigeria to start doing something, I was thinking I had to be seen and be heard audibly! I forgot that I can start by talking to the few people I am able to reach by typing.

So what is my point today? Where exactly am I trying to reach with this?

Well thanks for asking. I plead with everyone of you, when you go out today and you see a person who is not able bodied, or someone who is not standing up as tall as you are, because of a birth defect, an accident, abuse, neglect, or a disease, Please lend a helping hand to them. It doesn’t matter what you give, nothing is too little. It doesn’t have to be cash or food, it could be a smile, a handshake, a lift, clearing out the path they’re moving along, or just plainly asking them “how are you doing”. If you are an architect, a construction worker, remember to make the buildings you’re making accessible to those with physical disability. If you’re a citizen, trying to get on a bus, watch carefully, look at that guy who can’t run to the bus as fast as you can, and give him the chance to get inside the bus. If you’re a teacher, remember that, the boy on a wheelchair who can’t participate in sports could be the best on the debate team. Everybody has a part to play here.

Although this note focuses more on disability awareness in Nigeria, I urge everyone everywhere to look around you, and help those who are less privileged whichever way you can.


P.S: I am NOT stating that everyone who has a disability brought on by an accident, a disease, abuse, neglect or on a wheelchair in Nigeria are poor, lacking or wanting! When you want to give, give to those who are needy. If you see a person on a chair and you go give them 200 naira, and you get a dirty slap, Biko, No call my name o,  lol. Jor o, I no send you!  Ensure that they are in the position of need, and remember Nothing is too small to give.

After all this is the season to be Jolly, Give a gift today.

Be Part of the Change in Someone’s life

God Bless you.

Signed: Elizabeth Oke.



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P.P.S: Remember there's nothing God cannot do.My life is my testimony and I am very glad and thankful!

As you give a gift to the less privileged, remember to most importantly Give a Gift of thanks to God for your life and the lives of your friends and family. :-)

Happy Holidays! Remember The Reason for The Season: JESUS!



armyofone:

Nigerians would prefer they go to spiritual churches for healing. oh yeah! tell an amputee from Iraq war to go to church for regrowth,
when western countries are being innovative, we are still blinded by superstition of na winch do am, na winch cause am. and they say why i love my A merry cah huh

OP, good job. can you imagine in this age no wheel chair accessible workplace or home?

God bless our troops
support our troops
SemperFI

omobachi:

[b]You will walk again my dea[/b]r, just last month a friend of mine walked again after 6 year on wheelchair cos she never gave up. Take care.

Inked_Nerd:

Well said my dear. You deserve a standing ovation for this. I remember being in Nigeria when I was younger and I used to see people just walking by while other were in pain and I was quite disturbed and baffled by their lack of empathy or acknowledgment of these people. Its sickening. Nigerians really needs to reform their way of thinking when it comes to how we treat the disabled and mentally ill.

alj harem:

good words,,

i believe that God would make nigeria see the light very soon

May you stay blessed

Allah be with you, Amin

oludashmi:

Well said honestly.
Good move too.

As for the wheel chair non-accessibility in schools, roads, buildings etc, it is very true for 99% of all our structures and plans.

So you need to have a way of doing yours (re-strategise) cos we see some of these awareness progs on TV and hear on radio but as usual Nigerian things live only in the books. All those who promised one support or the other will turn ghost after the prog. Take care.

mukina2:

well said.
Good positive words. You will walk again my dear

ifyalways:

You exude positivity,high hopes and Confidence,I admire that.
Everything wud turn out fine before you know it.cheers 

marabout:

I believe that I will walk again, but until that time, I will continue to conquer and live this life.

@ hottie,

That's the spirit. I did manage to do it and you can do it. Of course neurologists/neurosurgeons would say unlikely. Never mind. You know your faith. They know science.

Amazing that you have dealt with it like a superwoman. The song "Hero" comes to mind.

Like you said, not everyone is lucky enough to have people who really care around them.
In Naija, disability awareness is poor. I wondered about this and many other things when visiting Naija last fall. Some even say disabled people are reaping the reward for their evil deeds or those of their family. I know people back then who suffered childhood polio. They were almost made invisible by their families to avoid shame. Sad indeed.

If our legislooters were not too busy sharing money, they could bring in legislation to force public offices to have wheelchair access or face a huge fine.
You can start with petitioning your state government for doing nothing in that respect. You are still very young. With time you can start an NGO.  Our good people here at NL have a big heart, never mind the constant bickering.
But then most disabled people cannot  even afford a wheelchair.
Thumbs up.

armyofone:

Nigerians would prefer they go to spiritual churches for healing. oh yeah! tell an amputee from Iraq war to go to church for regrowth,
when western countries are being innovative, we are still blinded by superstition of na winch do am, na winch cause am. and they say why i love my A merry cah huh

OP, good job. can you imagine in this age no wheel chair accessible workplace or home?

God bless our troops
support our troops
SemperFI

kabukabu50:

Well said, In Nigeria once you are disabled you are a nobody in soceity, In civilized countries, disabled people get hired to work because the govt pays the companies subsidies to hire them .When you go to ANY store/bank/office, the disabled get marked parking closet to the entrance, and if they dont work, they get paid montly by the government

Nigeria has a long way to go

nethacker:

i am jst speechless after reading your write.
i salute your courage.

mendax:

As a nation we should be thinking of disability acts/bills etc, to ensure equal opportunities for disabled in terms of jobs and education and ensuring buildings are structured to accommodate the use of wheelchairs etc like the poster highlighted.

In the meantime, we need to take it up on ourselves as individuals to help the less privileged among us.

@OP, thanks for the wonderful post

omobachi:

You will walk again my dear, just last month a friend of mine walked again after 6 year on wheelchair cos she never gave up. Take care.

kristonium:

my dear,im ready to join u in this crusade.i wish to meet u personally if u don't mind so we could map out strategies on how we could take this awareness to a new level.This time indeed shall pass!there is hope!

Note:pls u can reach me on xtristolink@gmail.com,08032936936.

U SHALL WALK AGAIN!

Inked_Nerd:


I've seen the same as well. A lot of people seem to have to feel that because its not happening to them or someone they know, then its not important. I have two cousins who have needs as well. . . Luckily for them, they came from a family that had the financial means to provide the appropriate care they needed. In fact, one of those cousins, no one thought she would ever walk. With the care she was able to receive, she was able to learn to walk. If you ever start an campaign to help the disabled or mentally ill in Nigeria, please let me know. I wanna do whatever I can to help. I'm so sorry to hear about your accident, I hope that someday you will regain your ability to walk. Your unwillingness to give up shows the true strength you possess.

graciousme:

Nice article,am also physically challenged too.as a result of road accident leading to spinal cord injury.for others who read and acknowledged your piece,they really might not know what it feels like to be physically challenged in nigeria.the physical inability is a life changing problem on its own,but living in nigeria is double the pain of being on a wheelchair.people think upside down when they come in contact with physically challenged people.it makes me wonder if they need their legs to think right,or do we need legs to operate our bank account,do we need our legs to function before we are accorded the respect,love and understanding that should be shown to us?

i can go on and on about living in nigeria and being physically challenged,life is short and beautiful like you said.am living positively and will continue doing so,when you have JESUS you've got all the legs you need,

chao


kemioladipo@yahoo.com

graciousme:

Nice article,am also physically challenged too.as a result of road accident leading to spinal cord injury.for others who read and acknowledged your piece,they really might not know what it feels like to be physically challenged in nigeria.the physical inability is a life changing problem on its own,but living in nigeria is double the pain of being on a wheelchair.people think upside down when they come in contact with physically challenged people.it makes me wonder if they need their legs to think right,or do we need legs to operate our bank account,do we need our legs to function before we are accorded the respect,love and understanding that should be shown to us?

i can go on and on about living in nigeria and being physically challenged,life is short and beautiful like you said.am living positively and will continue doing so,when you have JESUS you've got all the legs you need,

chao


kemioladipo@yahoo.com

kristonium:

@HOT ANGEL

still waiting to hear from u!i have not yet recovered from the write up.my heart still burn.lets avoid procrastination.we must all arise and start something fast.im sure u didnt just put up that write up for self pity but to enact a change in the mindset of Nigerians.i sense silent revolution in the making!contact immediately using the id above.WAITING PASSIONATELY!

Yours full of Passion for a Change!
kristonium

Gboliwe:

Even with my degree certificate,they wont even employ me!
Yes,I have an obvious disability. A bad leg! No corporate organisation wants to have me and misery is eating me up.

slamjam:

Thanks Hot Angel for creating this thread.

I am physically disabled too and I want to do something to help disabled people in Nigeria. I don't know where to start ans I would like ideas to help in any way possible. I don't live in Nigeria. Since the middle of this year I have been wanting to help out disabled people in Nigeria and I would like to work with others too to help.