ABUJA – Persons Living with Disability on Tuesday called on President Goodluck Jonathan to assent to the bill on Persons Living with Disability to enable them to enjoy their rights as Nigerians.
Mrs Esther Andrew, a delegate representing Persons Living with Disability, made the call at the ongoing National Conference in Abuja.
She decried the high level of discrimination suffered by persons living with disability in the country.
“The society should know why people living with disability always cry out; we cry out because we want the president to assent to the bill; we will be very grateful.
“There are rules that guide persons with disability.
“If a blind person is about crossing the road, you raise your white cane up and all cars are supposed to respect the white cane and stop.
“But, instead, we are the ones stopping for those that have jeep to pass. They are not doing us well.
“And you find out we also want to go to school. The institutions in Nigeria are not disabled friendly.
“Please we want to go to school; we want to be well read; those of us that are opportune to read we undergo serious problems.
“So, it is very important that we take care of people living with disability in this country,’’ she said.
Andrew called on Nigerians to support persons living with disability in the country, rather than discriminate against them.
“It is very important that we speak openly concerning our problems.
“The speech of the president is well articulated and I hope at the end of the conference something good is going to come out for persons living with disability.
“You need to support us not to discriminate against us. The negative attitude of the society affects us greatly.
“We don’t want to beg on the street. I had the opportunity of going down to those begging and I asking them, why do you like to beg.
“They asked me: you that have graduated have you got a job? How do we pay the school fees of our children?”
She, however, expressed the hope that Persons Living with Disability would have course to smile at the end of the conference. (NAN)
