BY FRANCIS KADIRI, ABUJA
Human population has always had room for the poor and disabled, especially that some are born blind while others are born lame or with one form of disability or other.
Sixty-three years after Nigeria’s independence, statistics puts the number of disabled people in the country at over 27 million, a figure that is considered as worrisome especially that the country has an estimated population of 223 million as at 2023.
Majority of the sufferers are associated with one or more of the five prevailing types of disabilities caused by visual, hearing, physical, intellectual or communication impairments, a situation that nearly totally make the sufferers invalids and totally dependent on family, even though there are efforts to establish social security intuitions with particular mandate to support the disabled among which are the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund and a bill passed by the 9th Senate in 2022 to establish the Nigeria Social Security Commission.
At the time, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service Matters, Ibrahim Shekarau in his presentation, explained that the NSSC bill sought to provide the legal and institutional framework for the establishment of the National Social Security Commission for the regulation, management and administration of various social services and benefits to Nigerian citizens.
Shekarau, who was Senator representing Kano Central Senatorial District at the time, said the NSSC bill covered support for survivors resulting from the death of the family’s breadwinner.
However, in separate interactions with various groups of disabled people in view of Nigeria’s 63rd independence anniversary, our correspondent reports that they care less about the anniversary, arguing that successive governments have forgotten the disabled population, saying that they are not aware of any social security policy to assuage their deplorable living condition.
“According to him, the population of blind people in Karmajiji has reduced drastically as a result of deaths from avoidable illnesses in the past two years”
When told that the 9th Senate passed a bill to establish a National Social Security Commission to put in place a National Social Security protection funding to take care of the needs of the unemployed, disabled, old-aged and underage children below 18 years from broken marriages, the old disabled respondents argued that “such an effort, if it was ever made, was probably for an upper class of poor people, not for the truly homeless indigent disabled people like us who earn our living from roadside alms and goodwill.”
Discussing the total disconnect of indigent disabled Nigerians from the country’s social security policies, nineteen respondents who were all illiterates said they are not aware.
Fifty-six year old virtually impaired Zubairu Husseini who leads a group of three in Lugbe community of the FCT, said: “We have no home and we sit here under the sun all day except for the night when we go to the mosque for shelter,” adding that like the other members of his team, he has children.
Husseini said he has six sons, “they are far away and I am satisfied and my prayer is that they should take care of their mother who is far away in Katsina.”
When asked if he has plans to get a private shelter and live a more desirable life such that his children would visit and share some affection, he said: “I am already an old man and it is not at this stage that I would deceive myself that I would build or rent a home.”
Referring to a mosque in the village, he said, “When night comes, a mosque is available for all of us and many others to pass the night. It has been serving that purpose for many years and we are satisfied with it. I can’t even afford to raise N10, 000 to return to Katsina, because I would still love to go and see the place where I come from, but it is not even necessary.
“So I don’t even think of building a house at this old age.”
When asked about the challenges of health and how the community of indigent blind people are addressing the challenge, he said, “I don’t want to discuss it because it reminds me of those people who were part of us that died from common ailments, but you have asked me and I will tell you this: three years ago, my group had five members. Two died from common ailments and now, only three of us are left in the group. We all used to sit here together, but now they are no more. What I am trying to tell you is that I don’t know who will die next. So what is important to us is to say our prayers and commit ourselves to God, and that is what we live for now. Look at my age, what is important to me now is to prepare myself to meet my creator.”
When asked how long he has been a beggar and the economic quality of his life, Bewale, a blind and lame beggar in Karmajiji community of FCT said, “I was born blind, but some of us became blind as a result of some ailments. In my own case I was born blind and have been begging for 49 years.
“We sit under this scorching sun, and that is why I have this straw hat on my head to reduce the effect of the sun on my head and health.
“That is the life that Almighty God agreed that we should live and we are used to it.”
He added that some people sit under umbrellas to save themselves from health challenges that come with the scorching sun.
Unlike Husseini, Bewale said he has comforted himself with the fact that he was born to be blind, but called on the government to provide healthcare services to the community of blind people in Karmajiji community of the FCT.
According to him, the population of blind people in Karmajiji has reduced drastically as a result of deaths from avoidable illnesses in the past two years.
“Two years ago, there were more blind people here, but the economy became so tough and some could not withstand it,” he said, adding that support from the government could have saved the situation, especially illnesses that did not require expensive sums for medical treatment.
When asked why he was particular about blind people, Bewale said, “Yes, there are many categories of disabled people, and we all need support from individuals and government. However, I am particular about blind people because we are always the worst hit in times like this.”
Asked to explain further, he said, “A blind man is totally helpless. While a lame man can sit in a place and signal passersby to drop alms, the blind man does not know what is happening around him, so he is perpetually at disadvantage even when we have to share what is given to the group because he only receives whatever he is given.”
When asked to discuss the significance of the country’s 63rd anniversary, in separate interactions, they said it is of no relevance to disabled indigent people because “we are not even aware of a government.”
Dahiru, a lame beggar on crutches, discussed the understanding of their relevance saying, “It is only when elections are near that we are supported to get our Voters’ Cards and to vote, and that is how best we came close to government.
“All those we ever voted for in the FCT have proved to be bastards once they get into public office.
“So, it is from you that we are hearing of Nigeria’s independence. It is of no relevance to us because we are not even aware of it. We are not also aware of the efforts you said the government is making to help us until the government informs us of it,” he added.
