‘We’re asking for inclusive healthcare system’

What exactly do you want from the government? We are asking for an improved and inclusive healthcare system in Nigeria. This is because currently people with disability are invisible in our healthcare system. We want a situation where our hospitals become accessible for people with disability, especially women and girls with disability who have no […]

What exactly do you want from the government?
We are asking for an improved and inclusive healthcare system in Nigeria. This is because currently people with disability are invisible in our healthcare system. We want a situation where our hospitals become accessible for people with disability, especially women and girls with disability who have no access. 
The deaf people go to the hospital; no one can interpret what they are saying.  When women with physical disability go to the hospital, they can’t enter, people have to be carrying them because there are no ramps in front of the hospital. 
So we are saying government need to increase its funding to improve the health services and ensure that people with disability have access to health. One of the most important ways this can happen is by passing the Disability Bill that has been in the National Assembly for so long. If passed and the president gives accent to, persons with disability will have their rights protected and they have access to services.

How long have you been disabled?
All my life. I had polio as a child since I was three years old.  Since then, I have been living with a disability.

What advice do you have for parents who do not see a need to immunize their children?
I will tell them that they need to change their mindset and attitude to ensure that their children are immunised to avoid the complications that arise from living with a disability. The environment is very unfriendly, there are barriers everywhere which can be avoided if you immunize your child and your child is not affected by polio.

What advice do you have for parents with children with disabilities?
Those children with disability are like any other child.  They are human beings and have the same rights and should not be treated lesser or like they are object of pity.
Parents should make sure they have their children with disability educated and ensure that they protect them from all forms of humiliation. That is one of the reasons we want this law passed. Once the law is passed, if you have a child with disability and you don’t send the child to school, there is a penalty. I will say any parent who has a child with disability should get that child educated.
Also, the society has to change its attitude to persons with disability. Ensure that they do not discriminate against them and include them in every aspect of life. 

Do you have any regrets in life?
 I don’t. I am moving on and I’m happy. I have a first degree in Public Administration from Enugu State University of Science and Technology and Masters in Demography and Social Sciences from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.  So, disability did not stop me from achieving anything. So, I am encouraging people with disability to do the best for themselves.