Efio-Ita Nyok|18 February 2016|6:05am
Yesterday, 17 February 2016, National Association of Persons with Disabilities, Cross River State chapter, took to town to register their displeasure with the present state government.
Their intention was to draw the attention of the government to their plight. Thus they converged at the Destination Cross River, along the highway at the Basin Authority entrance numbering about 120. Their converge caused a traffic jam for over 3 hours.
Some of them carried placards reading 'Is disability bought in the market?', 'Ayade we voted for you', 'if silence means civilisation, then we have been civilised', 'Gov. Ayade give us job, treating us with disdain is unhuman', etc -so touching!
Their intention was to attract the attention of the governor, Ayade, but he was not around. Albeit, one of the governor's aide showed up, the Commissioner for Social Welfare, Oliver Orok to listen to their message, get back to his principal the governor and assure them of government readiness to address their peculiar needs.
This incident incited reactions from the affected road users at the site of happenings:
*Bassey Effiom:
'The present strike by the physically challenged in Calabar should draw our attention, society, individuals, to the neglect we have plunged these people. We are all guilty, must act positively toward them'.
*Ussoh Bishop:
'Problems will never end, but the disabled in Cross River State Nigeria want to be treated first. They have blocked the roads so that the entire state can share in their pains and they say they will not stop until Ben Ayade comes. Yet Ben is not in town and the masses are now suffering.
They protest for financial assistance and job employment but their method is getting out of control. Personally I feel for them but is there any better way of going about this issue pls give your candid opinion'.
These two reactions suggest strongly that their neglect is not attributed to the government only. All members of society share in their plight. Secondly, it tells how insensitive fellow members of society has become to needs of the opposite other. Human beings are becoming more and more interested in themselves. Society is fast losing touch with that basic universal human value, love. Much of our love from which mercy, compassion, etc emanate is lip service. It's not practically oriented.
Even religious leaders no more talk of practical love, the crave for crass materialism has taken over to replace love. The position of Bassey Effiom above is instructive. The earlier we wake up and revive this value, the better. If we toil with this warning, we may have to struggle with the very idea of the total disintegration of the society we live in. Let's recover our humanity. And like Prophet T. B. Joshua of EmmanuelTv would say, 'let love lead'.
Efio-Ita Nyok
Is a Blogger & the Editor of Negroid Haven
