The Media In Collaborative Action In The Service Of Persons With Disabilities

The Albino Foundation Public Notice

By Ayuba Ahmad

According to the United Nations, about 15% of global population are persons with one form or the other of disability. This figure is especially so in the developing countries. Nigeria with an estimated population of 200m, has about 30m Persons Living with Disabilities.

Before the advent of President Muhammadu Buhari, not much attention was given by successive administrations to this significantly large segment of our citizens. The sad trend had been that of regarding persons with disabilities unworthy of consideration in national development schemes, programs and policies.

The society’s response before now from families, communities and governments at all tiers, had been unlike what obtains in the advanced nations, where persons with disabilities are encouraged and assisted by governments and nongovernmental organizations to bring out their lurked, latent and manifest abilities of persons with disabilities.

At best, our young men and women with disabilities were given government or, parental support, in some cases, to partake in global sporting competitions such as Paralympics. Even then, their outstanding and heroic performances resulting in medals and global accolades were not as hyped and celebrated as officials and the mass media do in lesser feats by the nation’s other contingents at such global sporting fiestas.

In the name of skills acquisition or rehabilitation centres and specialized schools, adults and children with disabilities are tucked away in ill equipped institutions that do not impact meaningfully on their lives and their natural, innate endowments and abilities. In other words, the much vaunted and orchestrated rehabilitation and empowerment programs for PWDs are mere self serving and aggrandising lip service endeavours from which officials rake in bounties.

It is against the back of the experience of the nation’s attitude that has elicited excitement among all with genuine interest in bettering the lot of this segment of the society. In this regard, President Myhammadu Buhari’s administration has taken the lead with its midwifing the 2018 People With Disabilities Act and going further to establish the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities whose Executive Secretary, Mr James Lalu is also a member of the disability world been a person with hearing impairment.

Also blazing the trail is the newly created Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development. Thanks to the Minister, Malama Sadiya Umar Faruk, who has generally carried on her assignment with zeal, vigour and single-minded commitment, the PWDs have been specially targeted as beneficiaries of the series of empowerment and poverty alleviating programs the ministry has churned out over the past three years.

Another phenomenal occurrence in the emerging wave of collaborative actions in the course of persons with disabilities, is the advent of the INCLUSION Magazine, the monthly publication with a 24 hours online component.

INCLUSION Magazine is unique and unprecedented in the annals of the nation’s newspaper industry. For one, the primary focus of ts mission, is, “exclusive dedication” to the PWDs through the provision of, “insight into individual levels of ability, by inspiring and motivating people with disabilities to live active and optimal healthy life.”

Going beyond its stated mission by means of the mass media, the publishers of the INCLUSION magazine have, from inception engaged in various practical activities in advancement of PWDs. For instance, to celebrate this year’s International Children Day, the magazine went the unique path of providing a forum for children in the FCT, with various forms of disabilities: those with sight and hearing impairment, those with the down syndrome and autism among others, to showcase their natural talents and abilities.

The different treats and display by those children on the occasion, were simply fantastically spectacular and tellingly revealing. This writer went away with eye opener that, given the right environment, support and push, the genius, creativity and energy in our children with disabilities can be nurtured to blossom in adulthood as productive members of the society.

The INCLUSION management team led by its publisher and CEO, Hussaini Abdulrahman, has between July and October 2021, initiated and successfully convened a meeting between the magazine’s management team, with the Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary and Directors, Executive Secretary of the Commission for Persons with Disabilities, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Disability matters,The Human Rights Commission, non-governmental organizations and other corporate players. It was yet another rare platform for the exchange of ideas between the government, the media organization and NGOs on issues pertaining the PWDs.

On the visit to the ministry, the honourable minister, Sadiya Umar Faruk used the occasion to highlight some of the special recognition given to the PWDs in the programmes of her ministry. These include the affirmative policy of reserving fir people with disabilities, 10% of the total number of beneficiaries of the NPOWER, the Conditional Cash Transfer and the School Feeding programmes among others.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Malam Bashir Nura Alkali, the Minister who stressed on President Buhari’s passion and commitment to the PWDs, appealed for greater and sustained collaboration between the ministry, the Commission and the INCLUSION magazine, ” because that’s one of the best channels of information between the government and the public “.

Commending the Minister for her personal keen interest in PWDs as a result of which, ” we don’t have any headache at all “, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Mr James Lalu extolled the ingenuity and uncommon passion the Inclusion magazine has been demonstrating in the course of people with disabilities while also revealing that the Federal Mortgage Bank has entered into an MOU with the Commission on the construction of two hundred units of housing units in the FCT and fifty in each state for PWDs.

In his remarks at most of the interface, the Publisher/CEO INCLUSION magazine, Hussaini Abdulrahman reiterated the commitment of the media organization to issues relating to people with disabilities. He stressed the importance of collaboration between the ministry, stakeholders and his publication “to broaden public appreciation of the remarkable works this administration has been doing for people with disabilities”.

Yes, collaboration between stakeholders in the course of the PWDs will be critical in the sustenance of the emerging tempo of government and private sector attention being given to the People With Disabilities. Our national goal should be a situation where PWDs are not subjected to any form of discriminations; where they live normal and active healthy lives and are able to manifest their innate abilities.