Before I sail into the subject proper, I want my readers to know that I am not physically challenged nor are some of you but your sisters, brothers, fathers or mothers could be victims of this challenge whose birth is sometimes strange.
This subject kept resonating in my memory to the extent that I could not do anything else but give it life.
Day in, day out, we see beggars flooding our streets in search of daily bread. Some of us look down on them disdainfully simply because we think we are where we are by dint of our hard work and as such we see this category of people as crooks and lazy class.
I have seen a man that came into this world complete but today he is blind. I therefore urge us not to treat them with disdain because nobody knows tomorrow.
Be as it may, we are aware that some crooks pretend to be physically challenged by sitting by the road side begging for hand outs. These crooks have made it impossible for the true physically challenged people to get help from the people.
WHY ARE SOME OF THE PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED PEOPLE BEGGING ON OUR STREETS?
The music Maestro Steven Wonder though blind, had to be creative even as he played his music and controlled musical instruments like the gods of music to earn millions and great name for himself.
I also heard of doctors and lawyers that are victims of this circumstance that have performed excellently in their respective fields.
However, I hold that it is not all the victims that can go the extra miles like Steven and the rest.
Though, I don’t encourage this class of Kogites to go begging for hand-outs in the streets, I think a little support from the private and public sector will stop the ugly trend.
I make bold to make recommendation for the creation of an agency to carter for this less privileged class whose functions shall include among other things:
(a) provision of better education facilities for the physically challenged.
(b) creation of equal employment opportunities for both the physically challenged and those without the challenges.
I shall be stating my complete recommendations in the subsequent posts even as I humbly beseech and call on progressive minds, groups and agencies to support this crusade.
– Godwin Jibrin Bakwo
