By Amos Tauna
Kaduna (Nigeria) — The Chairman of a Non-Governmental Organization, Knowledge For The Blind Initiative (KFBI), Andrew Gani-Ikilama, has asked Nigeria to start harnessing potentials of the physically challenged persons for the overall development of the country.
“In Nigeria, the physically challenged people are not seen with any dignity or value and so they are seen as people that have nothing to offer the country but a nuisance to the society.
“My father, late Dr Bitrus Gani during his life time was a renounced medical doctor as a blind person, but because he was trained, he end up being useful to himself, family and the society. WE his children attained schools to the highest levels,” he explained.
Speaking at the State Special Education School, Kaduna, northwest Nigeria, in commemoration of the 2017 World Sight Day on the theme, “The power of vision,” Gani-Ikilama argued that unless government at all levels recognized the potentials that are being wasted away in the country among the physically challenged persons, most of them would end up as perpetual beggars throughout their lives time.
He expressed gratitude to Kaduna State Ministry of Education for the privilege to hold the lecture in the State Special Education School to enlighten the children and make them understand the potentials that are in them, adding that they have come to assure them that they can be great men and women if they work hard.
Jummai Bako, a graduate who lost her eyesight in the late 90s said it was not easy with the hurdles she had to pass in life before becoming what she is today.
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“While in Secondary School, l received a lot of victimization, at times l keep on crying but l made up my mind not to give up the dream l have for myself to achieve.
Speaking on the topic ” Greatness is a Choice'” Jummai Bako called on the students to see themselves as being privileged to be in school and enjoined them to use every opportunity to prove to the world that they have special talents in them to be great.
The speaker, Joshua Jydson who spoke on the power of personal vision, enjoined the students to always have a personal vision of who they want to be in future and work hard towards achieving their goals.
He reminded the students of the contributions of Dr Bitrus Gani, though a blind man, who touches the lives of people in different ways. “Don’t allow yourselves to be discouraged because of your present situation but you should desire in your hearts to make a very good use of the opportunities given to you to excel in life,” he added.
Jydson called on the Kaduna State government to introduce modern equipment that would help the students compete favourably with their colleagues from other parts of the world.
Some of the students interviewed expressed gratitude with the motivation given to them by the various speakers, saying their earlier perceptions have been changed to work hard to achieve greatness in future.