Published on 25th August 2025 by Ability News Network
For persons with disabilities (PWDs), enjoyment of unhindered access to freedom of gainful employment, inclusion in decisive decision making process in workplace, home, school, market etc, unhindered utilization of the United Nations' backed Universal Fundamental Human Rights to freely make informed choices and decisions about lifetime goals, career- based preferences, unlimited and unhindered inclusion in the society's fibre and so on and so forth, has all been thwarted, devastated, ruined and discredited by the social ill of the society - "discrimination" orchestrated by some inhuman elements in the wider society against the innocent souls of PWDs in Nigeria and most parts of African continent.
This injurious and inhuman concerworm created by the wicked ones in the society, has rendered millions of PWDs roughly jobless, in spite of obtaining the legally required employable qualifications for employment placement, hopeless and hapless, in spite of having enough fruitful causes to place their hope on, defenseless and economically disadvantaged, even though they are capable of enmassing enough economic wherewithdals provided opportunity was given to them much like anyone in the society - and are capable of rising a supportive family and manpower to depend on for Sustainable individual and collective growth.
Ironically, this societal ill (discrimination) at times tends to be easily spread unabeted even within the family unit, through a trusted friends, coursemates, roommates or associates, not to talk of those who enmass the instrument of power-the worst hitters in the evil art of spreading the deadly trait.
To face the issue squarely, let's delve deeper into the bitter and horrible experiences some members of PWDs community in Nigeria who are subjected to the various forms of Societal humiliation, maltreatment and rejection caused by the compounding practices of discrimination against them, just for no reason other than merely having physical disability status. These are people whom the society at large ought to protect and show love and admiration to them rather than unjustified hetred and oppressive rejection.
Daniel Sunday, an Economics and Special Education graduate faces the harshest treatment while aspiring to work in a bank after graduation. He attended various job interviews but was denied access for interview due to inability of the employers to make room for the provision of sign language interpretation service during the interview.
"This is a deliberate attempt to disqualify me as a Deaf applicant" Daniel lamented growly.
"They looked only at my disability rather than my qualifications" he added
Another hearing impaired lady Miss Tosin Odumosu, a Business Education graduate at the preatigious Federal College of Education (Special) Oyo, faced similar experience when her interviewers realise she was a Deaf - they quickly shift their attention to another applicant leaving her alone unattended to.
" Their chief concern waa how will I hope with the job as a Deaf" she said.
For Vincent Okoye, a history graduate of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, his skin colour was the subject of discrimination that cost him a chance to get a job he so deeply admired and qualified
His trivail starts when he completed his 13-month internship at the British Council and sought an employment with a private company and worked hard to pass the company's online interview and also passed the written assessments which qualified him to the physical interview.
To Mr. Okaye's shock, his interviewers upon seeing his passport indicating albinism stopped any form of communication with him and everything ends from there, this cost him the opportunity of securing gainful employment as all his complaints and pleas fall in Deaf ears.
Abdullahi Usman Kazaure, a visually impaired graduate of political science from Federal University Kashere who applied to work in an undisclosed federal ministry in Abuja revealed how his name was controversially removed from the list of those who are shortlisted for interview after earlier being invited for the same interview in Abuja.
"I wrote so many applications and in one of those applications I was lucky to be shortlisted, but some people changed my name with another person because they found out I was blind" he recalled
Conclusively, PWDs are grappled with ever growing scarce opportunities in the labour market, they are forced to inadvertently faces compounding, often distressing societal biases and barriers they couldn't contend with, followed by inaccessible justice and legal systems, a legal system that's entirely wrapped in Corruption and nepotism.
Worst still many Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Nigeria hails from very low-income backgrounds that is revaged in abject poverty and this breads discrimination more easily.
It's therefore highly imperative for the National Commission of Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) to intensify their oversight functions, campaigns against discrimination, prosecute offenders and expand their advocacies to the wider audiences both at the federal and state levels. This, we believe could help significantly in addressing barriers PWDs are inadvertently subjected to. Eliminate the ever growing cases of discriminatory hiring practices PWDs are persistently witnessing in the employment market and result in the maximizing opportunities for PWDs in Nigeria to gainful employment, institutional protection and safeguarding human rights.
No comments:
Post a Comment