By Ruby Leo
Senator Umaru Tanko Almakura and the Executive Secretary of the National Commission of Persons with Disabilities, Mr James Lalu have recalled with mixed feelings and nostalgia how they joined the persons with disabilities by accident.
Both of them recalled their sojourn at the cerebrations to mark the international day of sign languages themed, “Strengthening Deaf Education, Empowerment and Employment also known as Deaf E-3.
The event was a historic three year, 2 million dollar partnership with Gallaudet University meant to allow USAID for the first time to support education opportunity for Nigerians dear, hard of hearing and deaf blind communities.
The senator said, “I represent Nassarawa south, I chair the committee on solid minerals and state development. I was in the past eight years or ten, the governor of Nassarawa State under the platform of APC.
“I am delighted to be among you today to celebrate the international day for sign languages, and also the launch of the E-3. I consider this a great privilege and something that is very exciting, because if there is any constituency that I think that I belong to, it is the community that belongs to people with disabilities”.
“I thank the organizers for inviting me to give me goodwill message, as one that considers himself part and parcel of this community”.
“I will share with you briefly, how I became by accident a member of this constituency, in 1990, my children had a small ailment which I thought was malaria. After two days’ treatment it was considered or prescribed as typhoid fever.
“Within one week it became something else, and we were diagnosed as having Lassa fever, I was with my children in the hospital for four days and on the fifth day I joined them as one admitted in the hospital. That has been our journey to joining people with hard of hearing”.
“My first son died immediately while my second son and myself got treated but at the end of it, we completely lost our hearing. Mine was profound. However, for me I have already attained certain landmark in my life as per education and work is concerned.
“I was even in politics I wanted to contest for the office of governor in plateau state in 1990, but because of this disability I couldn’t.
“So for me, life started afresh, by having to relate with people from my constituency and those with hard of hearing, but for my son he had salvation and liberation through the Gallaudet university.
“He was at the university for seven years, graduated and later did his masters and because of the kind of chaperoning he has gotten from the university, my son is happily married to deaf like himself, an alumnus of Gallaudet University.
“As I talk to you given the type of support given to him in line with E-3, he had good education, employment and he is also into a business that has given him empowerment, as I talk to you, he is a player is real estate in Washington DC”.
Meanwhile Mr James Lalu, the executive secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities said, “I am a big beneficial of sign language. I was born hearing but when I reached about NCE 3, in Gindiri in Plateau State, I lost my hearing ability”.
“When I lost my hearing ability, I felt that the world was almost coming to an end for me, until I was able to discover sign language which I used to continue my education. I passed through university, today I am here and by the grace of God. If not for sign language, I would not have been here as the executive secretary of the National Commission of Persons with Disabilities.
“My life started as a senior special assistant to the governor for disability affairs for six years, from there I moved to member of the plateau state disability right commission, and I became the executive chairman of the plateau state disability rights commission and now I am here at the national. I will always remain grateful to sign language because that is the primary thing that made me what I am today”.
“So celebrating international day for sign language, is celebrating the progress in my life. I want to thank the organizers of this programme for bringing E-3 to Nigeria, it is a beautiful project that is coming to strengthen the capacity of the deaf community”.