In blocking the entrance to the gate of Government House, Owerri, the Imo State capital, on January 21, and disrupting activities at the seat of power, members of the state chapter of the National Association of Persons Living with Disabilities were exercising their inherent right to be treated with honour and dignity. All too often, those who do not suffer from disability, particularly those in positions of authority who allocate state resources in aid of disadvantaged groups believe they are doing the disabled a favour by offering them assistance, which is often paltry and tokenistic. Sometimes they exhibit a condescending attitude towards this group of citizens, treating them with callous disdain, as somewhat less than human as is obviously the case in Imo State.
Nothing could be more mistaken. Persons with disabilities are as human as able-bodied citizens and deserve to enjoy the same rights and humane consideration as their fellow citizens. The complaints of the disabled persons who participated in protesting against what they saw as oppressive and unjust treatment in Imo State are indeed pathetic and heart rending. One of the grievances was the alleged discrimination against them in recruitment into the state public sector. According to the spokesman of the protesters, Mr. Jude Okparaeke, no person living with disability is among the approximately 3,000 persons employed by the Rochas Okorocha administration into the public service.
This is certainly unacceptable and indefensible. It cannot be the case that there are no persons living with disabilities qualified to be recruited into some of the vacancies filled even on merit. The accidental and unfortunate fact of disability should not be a limiting or disqualifying factor necessitating a policy of discrimination that is the immoral equivalent of apartheid.
Even more damning is the allegation that the Okorocha administration has serially defaulted on the payment of the yearly subvention due to the association, although this has reportedly always been provided for yearly in the state budget. In the words of Mr. Okparaeke, “Since this governor came on board in 2011, our yearly subventions have not been paid. We are talking about N6.9 million, which is less than one million Naira a year. This is a paltry sum which the government can easily pay”.
For a state government that has attracted widespread criticism for spending humongous amounts of scarce public resources on erecting statues in honour of characters who have added negligible value to the state, denying these needy citizens their legitimate due can only be described as sadistic. It is even sadder that, as Okparaeke put it, “Even when military government was holding sway, these subventions were paid to us. It is constitutional. We have explored all available means but the government has remained adamant”. Of course, the irony is not lost. Dictatorial and unaccountable military governments met statutory obligations that a democratically elected government has refused to meet.
Developed societies go the extra mile to provide opportunities, resources, programmes and facilities to ameliorate the conditions and maximise the potential of persons living with disability not only because the ability to show compassion is a key measure of a community’s level of civilization. More critically, a society that, through sheer neglect or indifference, does not empower its disabled citizens to transcend their disadvantages, as well as optimally develop and utilise their talents only ultimately shoots itself in the foot. For, such a society will be depriving itself the benefit of the productive potential of a not inconsiderable number of its citizens.
The Imo State government has no excuse. It can and must address these grievances urgently.
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