Agency The Spinal Cord Injuries Association of Nigeria, Abia State chapter, has appealed to Gov. Alex Otti, to assist the group with a bus, to ease the movement of its members. The state Chairman of SCIAN, Mr David Onuoha, appealed on the occasion of the official launching of the group’s secretariat in Umuahia.
He identified an inefficient transport system as one of the challenges confronting the group, saying that members spent more than double what an able person would pay in movement. According to him, it is hard for members to be commuted on public transit, because of their peculiar nature, where they have to carry with them wheelchairs. Onuoha said that members were compelled to charter vehicles for journeys, in most cases.
He also lamented that the public and private buildings in the state were not disabled-friendly as they lacked ramps for accessibility. The chairman said that spinal cord injury persons spend so much on medication and rehabilitation daily. “Most of us with better degrees and skills compared to our abled counterparts are unemployed due to discrimination,” he said.
He, however, solicited support from the government and public-spirited individuals to equip the new secretariat with computer sets for learning, digital printers, and sewing machines. Onuoha said that the association was also in dire need of a welding machine, generator/solar system, a plot of land for its permanent site, and others. The SCIAN chairman expressed profound gratitude to God.