By: Joy Odor/Kaduna
The National President, Beyond the Boarder of Disability Initiative Nigeria (BBDIN), Comrade Rilwanu Abdullahi has said that the disabled persons in Nigeria are the worse hit by Climate change.
Comrade Rilwanu Abdullahi who stated this in a sensitization workshop in Kaduna on Friday said this because no one care about the daily challenges they faced in the communities in terms of adapting to critical weather condition in the country or even made an attempt to sensitize the disabilities community on the Global aspect of climate that is affecting all sectors of humanity.
He continue to inform that majority of handicaps in Nigeria were blind, some deaf, leprosies, indeed or use wheelchairs, canes, crutches even use wheel barrow as a mean of transport to move from one place to another in a critical condition.
Comrade Rilwanu Abdullahi stressed that only the rich once among them make use of Tri-cycle machine to ease their movement, pointed out that the devastated nature of the environment and other climatic factors always force them to enter into trouble when its rain, during Harmattan and bad weather with natural disaster.
“The sensitization is the first of its kind in the history n Kaduna and Nigeria as a whole. This is simply because there is no association, group or organization that is championing the causes of disabilities which has ever made an attempt to sensitize the disabilities community on this Global aspect of climate that is affecting all sectors of humanity.
“Majority of the handicaps are blind, deaf, leprosy, use wheelchairs, canes, crutches while some use wheel barrow as a mean of transport to move from one place to another in a critical condition.
“Only the rich once among them make use of Tri-cycle machine to ease their movement. Nobody cares to know how we move into our local communities as a result of bad road when there is flood, natural disaster with our roller skate, as for the blind they uses their local sticks to locate their road and go back home” he said.
In his contribution, the National President, National Tranquility Movement of Nigeria, Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammed Gashsh said climate change is becoming a big threat to the life of person with disabilities in country like Nigeria due to existing inequities and disparities.
According to him, people with disabilities and their families need adaptation, coping strategies, robust systems and mechanisms that can mitigate and minimize the harmful effects of climate change and promote sustainable access to basic necessities, secure livelihoods, health care, and social and civic participation.
In his own remark, the Representative of Green Aid Africa, Dr Tabi Joda suggested ways in which the physically challenged person can help themselves in the fight against climate changes in the assorted communities such as the need for advocacy to elected leaders to inform them about their issues.
According to him, the disables should also support in the daily fight against deforestation and desertification through trees planting campaign in their communities, meet with environmental expert for more ideas on how to reduce the challenges of environment.
However, in a pepper presentation titled: “Christian Perspective View on Climate Change” by the General Overseer of Christ Evangelical and Life Intervention Ministry, Pastor Yohanna Buru explained that in the beginning, God created the planets like Moon, Sun, Earth mentioned or unmentioned (Genesis 1).
“God set them on cause, to work according to His plans, purpose and design. The seasons produce the climatic environment or host the climate.
“Almost everything about climate change is understood more from the fall of man or sin of man and the eschatological perspective as a sign of end of times” he added.
In his closing remark, the Director of School of Health Science Kaduna, Mallam Nurudden Belle appealed to Nigerian to immensely embark on trees planting to save the northern region from turning into desert area while the African Climate Reporters also appealed to Nigerians to stop throwing Trash into the gutter.
