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By Simeon Mpamugoh
It was a potpourri of activities organised recently by the International Association of World Peace Advocates (IAWPA) to celebrate the International Day For Persons Living With Disabilities in Lagos.
The event was organized in conjunction with Heart of Gold Charity Foundation and supported by Peculiar Voices of Hope and took place at Ajao Estate, Isolo Lagos.
The Lord Mayor of IAWPA West Africa, and Chairman/Chief Executive, Chicason Group, Chief Alex Chika Okafor, said that the event has offered him an opportunity to come face to face with this special people of Nigeria.
He said: “I wouldn’t call them disabled people. They are special people and these are not opportunities one sees everyday. So I feel honored to be at this occasion which has offered us an opportunity to provide a shoulder for them to lean on. We’re not calling it assistance.”
Represented by his personal assistant, Dr. Tony Alaku, Okafor who is known for philanthropy, disclosed that he has sponsored so many people through scholarship; assisted the widows in the local community and also provided health services to so many people. He added that gathering special people in a location and seeing them face to face was a deep honor for him.
He said: “This is supposed to be my first appearance among this special people. And I am glad that the event coincided with the United Nations International Day For People Living with disabilities.
“I never imagined that the conveners had been having a gathering of special people in the last seven years. They have indeed made it happen. I have just been made the Lord Mayor in September. So we’re still trying to understand what the communication is all about but coming to this event is more like an eye-opener,” he said.
To the special people, he told them that they were the reason for the day. “You are special people in that there are people we see on the road every day, able-bodied men gathering here and there feeling happy, believing that God has blessed them but at this event, we are in the midst of the true special people.
“Once in a while we see these people on the street, we’re empathetic, we pity them and walk away, as if empathy has departed from our lives. They are not to be pitied. They need shoulders to lean on, and that’s what society is demanding from us. I’m not new in this type of philanthropy but it is gladdening we have been exposed to a new set of avenue to touch lives.The conveners had opened new doors for me to reach out and touch lives. One may be blessed in his ways but for me, we are just custodians of God’s blessings. It now depends on how much one uses his blessings to touch lives and to complete humanity.”
He assured the conveners that as the face of the organization in West Africa, Lord Mayor of West Africa, there would be more of such reach out in months and years to come. “What I’m promising the organizers of this programme is that I will leave the organization far more better than I am meeting it.”
Presenting a goodwill message on the occasion, Member of House of Representatives, Oshodi-Isolo Constituency 11 Lagos, Hon. Okey-Joe Onuakalusi, advocated for inclusivity of persons with disabilities in politics and governance, stressing that physical disabilities do not equate to mental or intellectual disabilities.
He cited the example of para Olympic-athletes who won laurels in areas where able-bodied persons failed, emphasizing that persons with disabilities should not be marginalized in the workplace, education and employment.
On the theme of 2024 edition, “Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future,” Onuakalusi who was represented at the event by his special adviser, media and communications, Mazi Chuks Nwosu, emphasized the crucial role persons with disabilities play in shaping a more equitable world.
“To achieve this, we must prioritize accessibility, inclusivity, and equity. We must also work tirelessly to promote accessible infrastructure, inclusive education, employment, and healthcare systems, as well as support disability-led organizations,” he further said.
He noted that Nigeria has made progress in promoting the rights of persons with disabilities, adding: “The Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, and the National Disability Rights Commission Act, 2018, are notable examples. However, there is still much work to be done.
“We must recommit ourselves to creating a world where persons with disabilities are valued, empowered, and recognized as equal members of society. We must equally strive for a future where accessibility, inclusion, and equality are fundamental principles guiding our actions.”
In her own remarks, the national secretary of IAWPA and Lagos State Coordinator, and the founder of Heart of Gold Charity Foundation, Amb. Chinaza Jennifer Ugboaja, disclosed that the groups decided to use the observance of the United Nations World Disabled Day to bring together as many as are disabled people they could locate: widows, orphans and the vulnerable to fellowship with them in love and empower them with food items.
She said : “We are not only celebrating with them but also spice up the day with dance party, food and drinks to give them sense of belonging. We are grateful to God for His goodness and mercy that we are able to come up with something for them no matter how little it seemed to put smiles on their faces.
“We pray the federal and state governments, and the United Nations to assist us with funds. Everything about this kind gesture was single-handedly bankrolled by me and my bubbly sister Uchenna Ofomata of Peculiar Voices of Hope to the glory of God beside the support we got from IAWPA. This is a humanitarian services for those living with disabilities, and government and kind-hearted Nigerians should lend a helping hand,” she prayed, even as she noted that “Nigeria is a blessed country with good hearted citizens who don’t look back when they decide to help. So, they should hear the cry of this indigent Nigerians and support them through our foundation.”
For Uchenna Ofomata, the honcho of Peculiar Voices of Hope, one of the lead supporters of the IDPWD event, her passion for service to humanity especially the vulnerable in our society was at the behest of the initiative.
“There is no better day to celebrate these people with special need than the day set aside by the United Nations. We are using the day to appraise their needs so that we can plan better for them in 2025. They are one of the marginalized in the society.
“The idea didn’t just crop up. We brainstormed on it for couple of months, myself and my partner, Amb. Chinaza Jennifer Ugboaja, the promoter of Heart of Gold Charity Foundation, to impact these people in our community especially this festival period. They need our companion and we must not deny them the companionship and benevolence they need to survive.
“We must be a life to their pains and what they want from the government, and the good people of Nigeria. Because they feel disconnected from the rest of us, they are in the world of their own, these were some of our discoveries
during an interactive with some of them. For some, in their disability, lies ability as some of them are doing well and needed to be supported.
“We had one of them, visually impaired: Sanyaolu Adulrahmon who is into soap making but needed patronage from the public. He brought some of his products for exhibition at the event. We also had another one also visually impaired, Blessing Idowu who is a gospel music artist, so that those whose disability had limited them can learn from others with the same problem but decided to rise above it.
“The event has opened the eyes of many of them to start thinking of a paradigm shift. Some have found a reason not to remain isolated and beg but engage in productive venture like their contemporaries. Our promise is to continue to support them even much more better in 2025.”
The event equally witnessed the presence of Widows of Military Officers who died serving the nation. One of the widows Iliya Oluwaseun who spoke on behalf of other widows described the event as a thanksgiving celebration and empowerment of the disabled people in Lagos State.
She expressed gratitude to the organizers for deeming it fit and thoughtful of these special people in our society, to bring them together and ensure they put smiles on their faces. “Whatever they have received would go a long way in their lives. Military Widows had been part of the several editions of the programme and kudos must be given to the conveners who had been setting the pace for widows of the military. I think they should be encouraged with more helping hands, which will go a long way.
“Despite the economic difficulties, they still tried their best to see to the little needs of these people with disabilities. Truth is that the organisers cannot carry the load alone. I think with the help of the public and government officials, they will have a long way to go in putting smiles on the faces of the less privileged in the society. And wives of the fallen heroes should not be forgotten in this arrangement because our husbands died serving the nation.
“I feel we should be embraced at the state level. If it will not be extended to the federal level, at least in Lagos State we should be given prior concern. If there are individuals with good heart, and they want to come in conjunction with the foundations, I don’t think there is anything bad about it. So I implore our philanthropists to come in and help in conjunction with Heart of Gold Charity Foundation and Peculiar Voices of Hope so that we can have much better living condition than we are having now.”
Over 300 persons living with disabilities, 150 widows and 3 orphans benefited from the exercise.
